Stained Blossom
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When the secretly treacherous Aizen taicho seduces the eighteen-year-old Kuchiki heir, Byakuya, neither can predict the tumultuous consequences of their action...yaoi, mpreg...Aizen/Byakuya
1. Obsession

**Stained Blossom**

**Chapter 1: Obsession**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**I watched from a distance, waiting for the right moment to curl my arms around you. An image of white fascination, of silk and fine scent, I could not resist you. So I laid the baited trap and lured you…reached out and captured you…buried myself inside you. But in the exchange, I too, was enslaved. Now we both shall pay the price for that foolish desire, that mistake of passion, that time we cannot forget…**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Welcome, Aizen taicho," said the housekeeper, "Kuchiki-sama is waiting in the gardens. Come this way."

He followed quietly, his heart quickening as they moved out of the entry and through the cool hallway, out onto the wooden walkway and into the sweet smelling gardens of Kuchiki Manor. The housekeeper led him to the patio table, where Kuchiki Ginrei waited, sitting at the table and having tea with his grandson. His eye touched Byakuya briefly, in a flash, noting the freshness of youth, the soft, pale skin, wide gray eyes and calm, quiet expression. He smiled, still sensing the presence of the spirited child beneath that seemingly tamed exterior.

"Greetings, Aizen taicho," said Ginrei, looking up at him, "I was just telling Byakuya about your award ceremony."

"Congratulations, Aizen taicho," added Byakuya.

"Arigato," Aizen said, sitting down at the table.

The server poured him a cup of tea.

"I understand that you just experienced a ceremony of your own, Byakuya," Aizen said to the youth, "I think every noble in existence attended your passage ceremony."

"Well," said Ginrei, his lips curving upward, "it isn't every day that a future clan leader reaches his eighteenth year. We are very proud of Byakuya."

He sipped at his tea.

"I believe you said that you had a request to make," Ginrei prompted him.

"Ah, yes," said Aizen, his eye falling on Byakuya, "I am overseeing a short mission to the living world which will require me to pose as a wealthy businessman. I have a need for an attendant, fukutaicho level to undertake this mission with me, but my own fukutaicho is overwhelmed with other responsibilities. In addition, the mission requires the attendant to be multi-lingual and to have a talent in calligraphy. Ukitake taicho informs me that your Byakuya is capable in both of these areas. Moreover, he looks the part…young, fine features, high intelligence. I was wondering if you might allow me to borrow him for a few weeks."

He almost smiled at the instant reaction in Byakuya's eyes…innocent, of course. He was, after all, young and inexperienced…powerful though he was. And Ginrei had kept the youth carefully near to him. But with his eighteenth birthday passed, he was certain that the elder noble would be likely to consider it appropriate for his grandson to partake of longer and more dangerous missions that would call for him to be more on his own. He was, in fact, counting on this.

"Byakuya?" said Ginrei.

The youth nodded calmly.

"I am willing," he said quietly.

Ginrei bent his head, studying his tea.

"Things are quiet at the sixth division. I believe that it would not be a burden to allow him to accompany you. When do you leave for this mission?"

"I'm afraid we must leave immediately. Fortunately, he needn't bring anything. Everything has been prepared for our trip. I would, of course, have given more warning, had I been able, but…"

"Not to worry," Ginrei assured him, "Byakuya is quite capable of the necessary flexibility required on short notice missions."

"I am glad to hear that," said Aizen, "and I am grateful for the assistance. I do not wish to be rude, but we will need to go. Our transfer team is already in place and just waiting for us."

He stood and Byakuya stood and moved to his side. Aizen felt a twinge in his loins as the youth moved closer. He took a calming breath.

"Again, arigato. I will have your grandson back as soon as this mission is successfully completed."

They took their leave of the noble and flash stepped away from Kuchiki Manor. Byakuya followed in silence as the elder shinigami led him to the senkaimon. They passed over into the living world and slipped into the gigais their attendants provided them with. Then, they climbed into a limousine and sped away. Aizen watched Byakuya out of the corner of his eye, sensing now, the touch of uncertainty in the youth's reiatsu. He smiled bracingly.

"He hardly lets you out of his sight, right?" he queried softly.

Byakuya gazed at him for a moment, then nodded.

"It is customary, considering he is grooming me for clan leadership," he replied.

"But," Aizen said, glancing out the window, "all young people yearn for a bit of excitement, a bit of freedom, ne?"

Byakuya looked down at his hands.

"Of course," he admitted, "but being made clan leader is a great responsibility…a great weight. And it requires the sacrifice of such things, for the good of the clan."

"Hmmm…" said Aizen thoughtfully, as the limousine pulled up to their hotel.

The valet opened the car door and they stepped out onto the entry carpet, and followed it into the richly luxuriant lobby. Aizen kept the young noble at his side as he checked in and they received their keys. They took the elevator to the top floor and turned toward their penthouse suite.

"I booked us into a single suite, because you are acting as my personal assistant. I am a businessman who requires your assistance at all hours, so I will need you to remain close by."

He opened the door and motioned for Byakuya to enter. The noble stepped forward and Aizen followed him into the room. As they passed the sword stand near the door, Aizen picked up his zanpakuto.

"That is Kyoka Suigetsu?" queried Byakuya.

Aizen's lips curled into a smile.

"Yes," he said softly.

He drew the blade and let the young noble admire it for a moment. Then, he raised it, looking as though he planned to return it to the sheath, but instead held it point down and released his shikai.

Byakuya froze.

His smile widening, he quickly gathered the spellbound youth into his arms and carried him into the bedroom. He set him down on the bed and loosened and opened his clothing, laying bare the sweet, white flesh he had been craving for several years. He hadn't dared to touch the youth before, so careful was the watch around him, but having reached his eighteenth year, the controls and protections were loosened and Aizen's power gave him the ability to claim the noble…and soon Byakuya would be his. He leaned over the youth, touching his face and calling his name as he released the hypnosis.

Byakuya looked up at him, blinking and suddenly realizing where he was and how he had been partially undressed. A flush came over his face and he started to sit up. Aizen gently pushed him back down.

"Don't try to get up," he instructed the youth, "You lost consciousness and I loosened your clothing to allow you to breathe more freely."

"B-but…" Byakuya began.

"Hush, now," Aizen went on, "You should rest."

The noble's dark eyes looked uncertain, but still trusting. Aizen looked down at him kindly and touched his face again. Byakuya looked back at him uncertainly.

"A-aizen taicho?"

The brown eyes gazed down into his and Byakuya felt his heart quicken.

"You admitted to me that you long for freedom, Byakuya," Aizen said softly, "I was thinking that while we are here, we might take a bit of that freedom…and enjoy it together."

"How do you mean?" the youth said, his voice filling with hesitance.

"You are about to achieve a position of great power, but in many ways, you are still naïve."

He leaned closer, bringing his lips to the reclined noble's ear.

"You are proven on the battlefield, intelligent and well educated, but your body," he said, letting his fingers slide down the long, soft throat, "your body is still untouched. You are still innocent, Byakuya…and that could become a liability."

"H-how so?" Byakuya said, trying unsuccessfully to sound unaffected.

Aizen smiled.

"Your body wants to be touched, loved, claimed…and your heart will undoubtedly follow it. You want to put your heart in a safe place, with someone you trust, so that it will not be stolen and used against you."

He turned his head and brought his lips to the noble's, capturing them and caressing them gently with his. Byakuya stiffened at the intimate contact, his breath catching. He tried to pull away, but the elder shinigami settled his weight on top of the youth, holding him down and increasing the pressure against his lips.

"Aizen t-taicho! P-please…st…" Byakuya stammered.

He gave a surprised gasp as his awakening arousal was touched by another that was already hard and leaking. Aizen nibbled gently at his throat and ear.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked softly, "Your body wants mine…and mine wants yours. It's all right for it to be that way. It's quite natural. We are both beings of great power. It is only right that we should find each other and share our passions."

"But the clan rules say that…"

Aizen leaned forward and made his words disappear into a flurry of warm, wet kisses. He thrust his tongue deeply into the noble's mouth, stroking the length of his tongue, teasing it with his warmth until the body beneath his released a soft sigh and relaxed, and the other tongue curled itself lightly around his.

"We won't worry about the rules of your clan for now," he said softly, "Let this be your one indulgence, the one thing they can't take from you. They will rule enough of your existence, young Byakuya, don't let them take this from you too."

He saw the note of sadness in the dark gray eyes and knew he had won the youth over. He sank down into the depths of that sweet, perfect mouth and probed it with a blazing, hungry tongue. At the same time, his hands moved over the tender, white flesh, exploring it with deep, sensuous touches that made Byakuya's eyes close and his body push upward into the hands that caressed it. He moaned so deliciously into the elder shinigami's mouth that Aizen thought he might climax from the sound alone.

But he wanted more…and he was determined to have it.

He pulled the youth up onto his knees and sat facing him. Byakuya gazed at him with hazed, starving eyes and Aizen's swollen member twitched and leaked more furiously. The youth glanced down and blushed. Aizen smiled warmly at him.

"You see how much my body wants yours, ne?" he said softly, "Come closer, then, Byakuya. I want you to put your mouth on me. I want you to taste me."

He moved so that he leaned back against the pillows, watching intently as Byakuya moved closer and lowered himself slowly down in between the elder shinigami's parted thighs. He hesitated for a moment and Aizen felt a shiver pass through the young man's body. He smiled encouragingly and reached out to stroke the noble's hair gently.

"It is a bit frightening at first, I know," he said, reading the youth's thoughts from his expression, "but it is a sign of trust that I allow you to do this…and that you will allow it as well, when you have pleased me. Go ahead, Byakuya…taste it. It is not unpleasant, I promise you."

There was another short hesitation, and he felt Byakuya's breath touch his skin. Then the youth's head lowered and Aizen watched, entranced, as that pristine, untried mouth opened and wrapped around him. Byakuya winced, choking slightly and pulling away, then coughing and gasping. Aizen continued stroking his hair and slowly coaxed him back into position. He proceeded more slowly, more cautiously as he adjusted. Aizen groaned and panted, forcing himself to hold back, so he could watch the lovely sight of Byakuya lowered before him, the dark eyes closing as he pleasured the elder man until Aizen shivered and moaned contentedly.

"Does it taste good?" he hissed, raising his hips.

"Hmmmm…" moaned the youth.

Aizen quivered. He wouldn't last much longer, gazing down at that beautiful face and watching him carefully. Finally, he could hold back no more and loosed his release. Aizen's lips quirked as he felt Byakuya try to pull away, and he choked again and quivered uncomfortably.

"Swallow," Aizen instructed him patiently, releasing him.

Byakuya sat up, still choking and gasping…and avoiding the elder shinigami's eyes. Aizen leaned forward and licked away the bits that had leaked from his mouth, then pushed him down onto his back.

"I apologize, Byakuya," he said smoothly, "I tried to be gentle, but I am quite taken with you. You are a beautiful young man. I was careless and didn't make allowances for your inexperience."

The noble was still avoiding his eyes. He placed his hands on the Byakuya's pretty face and turned his head. The young man shivered, but met his eyes, the flush on his cheeks deepening.

"Don't be embarrassed," he said, lowering himself and pushing the youth's creamy thighs apart, "You will get used to that. You have made me quite content…and I would like to return the favor. May I?"

Byakuya caught his breath and stared for a long moment, then he cleared his throat softly.

"As you wish, Aizen taicho," he said in a voice that was just above a whisper.

Aizen lowered himself between the soft thighs, pushing them farther apart. His tongue found the soft skin of the noble's nether region and teased it, coaxing a soft, longing moan from Byakuya, then he explored the area slowly, listening to Byakuya pant lightly and release his name in a happy sigh.

"Aizen…t-taicho…"

Aizen smiled as he continued, watching hungrily as the youthful body arched and Byakuya moaned his name again, more loudly.

"Aizen…taicho!"

He slipped his fingers into Byakuya's mouth, continuing to pleasure him as the noble gently soaked the fingers in saliva, then released them. Byakuya groaned in protest as Aizen's mouth released him, but was immediately placated as the elder shinigami kissed his way downward, pushing his legs wider and caressing him tenderly. He teased the noble with his tongue and Byakuya's body arched again, and he heard the noble gasp. He held on tightly to the writhing hips and continued his manipulations, before pulling away and recapturing Byakuya's mouth in a powerful, mind numbing kiss.

He prepared the young man carefully, hardening again at the sight of Byakuya moaning and writhing fitfully at his touches.

He hadn't meant for their coupling to generate anything lasting. Byakuya was noble class, and would be a clan leader. Any association between them, would be, of necessity, discreet and would end before he was pushed into marriage by the clan. Yet even knowing he shouldn't form an attachment, he couldn't help but love the shift from that calm exterior to the wild, hot youth who responded so eagerly to his affections. He sighed, thinking how Byakuya seemed a lonely youth, separated from his peers, even those noble, because of his place in the clan. He blinked, unable to tear his eyes away as he continued, making the noble cry out in pleasure, emotion erupting across the usually quiet features and turning him from just beautiful to something both lovely and exotic.

He knew that if he made love to Byakuya, looking into that uncontrolled expression, he wouldn't be able to let go when the time came…

So he drew back and turned him onto his stomach, smoothing the long, black hair onto the white skin of his back, pausing to admire the contrast, then positioning himself behind the noble and slowly entering him. Byakuya sucked in a sharp, pained breath and was soothed by Aizen's fingers in his hair and the soft voice that whispered in his ear. There was a pause as the youth's body calmed, then Aizen began a slow, gentle thrusting. Byakuya made a soft, contented noise and raised his hips, moving with each deep, wonderful thrust. Aizen hand pleasured the younger man's hardness in time with their movements as they became more heated and intense. He laid his body along the length of Byakuya's back, and was surprised as a soft sobbing sound issued from the youth. His thoughts were taken away suddenly as Byakuya began to climax and the tightening around him sent him careening over the edge as well. He nearly purred as he released into that sweet, perfect body, then pressed his face to the noble's cheek, lacing together the fingers of one hand and letting his weight settle onto Byakuya's back.

Byakuya rested calmly beneath him, his breathing soft and even. Aizen waited until he was certain that the younger man had fallen asleep, then pulled away and left him there. He closed the door to the noble's room and went into his own room within the suite to shower. As the hot water ran down his body, he couldn't stop thinking of how beautiful Byakuya was, how soft…how he sounded when he moaned…how his body quivered as he climaxed. But he kept being nagged by the memory of that sobbing sound…that lonely sound that had come from him just before pleasure had overtaken them. He wasn't sure what it meant.

He sighed and told himself that it didn't matter. They would have this time together and then it would end. And Byakuya would go on to become clan leader and probably a taicho as well. He would have no room in his life for the peasant taicho, Aizen Sousuke. So Aizen didn't let himself expect it. He would take what was his and accept the loss later on. It was the way of things.

He turned off the water and stepped out into the bathroom, dried off and slipped into a brown, silk yukata. He left the bathroom and went to the kitchen to make tea. He carried the tea back to Byakuya's room, pausing outside at the chilling sound of Ginrei's voice.

"You know this cannot be tolerated," he said coldly, "You came here as an agent of the Gotei 13 and in full knowledge of your responsibilities. There is no excuse for doing something like this."

"I understand, Grandfather," Byakuya answered, a tremor in the soft reply, "I offer no excuses for my behavior."

"Did he force you?"

"No."

"You did this willingly?"

"Yes."

"And you have no remorse for your actions?"

There was a long silence.

"Byakuya?"

"No…I am not sorry."

He heard the sound of a hand striking flesh and the tea dropped to the floor. He opened the door and stood, staring at Ginrei standing beside the bed, his eyes blazing, and Byakuya kneeling on the bed in front of him, naked and holding a hand to his face.

"This is my fault," he told the furious noble, bracing himself in case Ginrei might decide to attack, but the sixth division taicho just glared at him hatefully.

He turned and threw a yukata to Byakuya.

"Dress," he said gruffly.

He turned back to Aizen.

"If you ever dare to lay a hand on my grandson again, I will kill you with my bare hands. You have no right. You are a peasant…and you have stained his reputation."

"No one has to know," Aizen said softly, "I won't say anything."

Ginrei flash stepped towards him and wrapped an angry hand around his throat. Aizen held still, staring into the furious, dark eyes.

"_I_ know of this dishonor," he growled, "and that is what matters. Stay away from Byakuya…and stay away from me. Do not dare to look me in the eyes again."

He took Byakuya by the hand and led him to the window.

"Wait," Aizen said, quietly, "At least allow me to apologize."

Ginrei bristled, but held still and nodded curtly.

"Byakuya," he said, stepping forward, "I am sorry. I was wrong to tempt you into this, but…"

"Save your apology," the youth said, looking away, "I knew what you wanted. I knew you didn't do this for love. You wanted me and I gave you what you wanted…and that is the end of it."

"If you thought it was like that, then why?" Aizen asked, "Why did you allow it?"

The dark, wounded eyes found his and froze him in place.

"Everyone has to have hope," Byakuya whispered in a broken voice, "even when it doesn't exist."

"And what did you hope for?"

"Enough," said Ginrei, stepping between them, "Come, Byakuya. You must undergo a cleansing ritual. Your mind and body must be purified of this horrid sin."

Without a backward glance, the young noble followed his grandfather out the window and back towards the senkaimon. Aizen Sousuke stood at the window, looking for some time in the direction they had gone, before calmly closing the window and leaving the now-empty room.


	2. The Purification

**Chapter 2: The Purification**

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**_Do what you will. I long to make amends for my transgressions. I understand now that I have fallen, and I seek your forgiveness and a way to set things right. Careful lines were drawn around me long ago, and I did agree to remain within them. I stepped outside, but for a moment, and it will haunt me forever…_**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Byakuya…my grandson, my pride, tell me what possessed you to do something like this," Ginrei said in a low voice that hung between sorrow and anger, "Haven't I cared for you since your parents died? Provided everything you needed to grow strong? Haven't I taught you well enough the expectations of one such as yourself? And still…the moment you leave my side, the moment my back is turned…"

"Gomen nasai, Grandfather…please, forgive me," Byakuya said, finally breaking the silence he had held all of the way back to Kuchiki Manor.

Ginrei turned and observed him with a cold eye.

"Now you show remorse. Why not before?" he asked quietly.

"I never meant to hurt you. It is just that…that…"

He paused, shocked at the feel of tears burning in his eyes.

"I thought that…he said that…it was a kind of freedom. I know it was wrong, but I wanted, just for a moment, to be free of all of this, to do something not laid out ahead of me, to be someone else."

He stood, pale faced and shaking, dressed only in the thin yukata, his eyes widening as his grandfather stepped closer and took hold of the front of his clothes, tightening his fingers until the light fabric tore.

"Why would you ever want to be like the rest of them? Everything is set before you, Byakuya…power, privilege, a great name. Would you rather be like the ones from the Rukongai? Nameless? Looked down on? Having to struggle twice as hard for half the recognition? You have been blessed, but you will not see it. It's right in front of you, but you are blind."

"I can see that I've hurt you and I am sorry," he said, forcing down the ache inside, "I swear to you, I won't disappoint you like that again. I'll…I'll do whatever you say, Grandfather, whatever I can to make things right between us again!"

Ginrei's brow furrowed deeply.

"Do you hear yourself?" he asked sternly, "You do not consider how you have shamed our house or how your disobedience has darkened your pure soul, Byakuya. You only make an emotional plea…and you barely manage to conceal the emotion that this wicked act has spawned."

"My apologies," Byakuya said, dropping onto his knees and bowing at his grandfather's feet, "I am sorry for dishonoring our family and you may punish me as you see fit. I will accept it with a penitent heart."

"You must first be purified of this filthy sin, Byakuya," Ginrei said looking down at the youth's bowed head, "Only then can we see to your punishment."

He thought for a moment.

"We will handle this privately," he said finally, "I shall deal with you myself. You must never reveal to another living soul what happened in that room. It is to be forgotten and certainly never repeated. And you are never to speak to Aizen Sousuke again."

"As you wish, Grandfather," Byakuya said, holding his body still and bowing at his grandfather's feet.

Ginrei took his hand and brought the youth to his feet, then led him out of the manor and through the gardens. They passed out of the back gate and walked slowly down a moonlit forest trail. They followed the trail far past the blue waterfall, down the cliff and across the meadow. They entered a darker section of forest and followed the winding trail up another set of cliffs to an isolated building that Byakuya had never seen.

"Grandfather," he whispered as they passed through the large double doors, "what is this place?"

He couldn't help but shiver as he looked around and noticed the emptiness of the place, the lack of guards or other shinigamis, for that matter. It was dark and cold and frighteningly quiet. Ginrei lit a torch and handed it to him.

"Follow me," he said in an icily calm voice.

As they passed into the building, Ginrei's voice rose up softly, echoing strangely.

"This is Itamigiri, the place of honorable pain…where we, of the house Kuchiki, punish our own. Its name is never spoken aloud outside these walls. Let its existence ease your mind in that you are not the first of our blood to sin in such a way, and that there is a way to purify your fallen soul. Come."

They climbed a long stone stairway, up to the very highest point in the building and passed into a large room at the top of a tower. A chill went through Byakuya at the room's contents…an icy looking pool of water bathed in moonlight, a low table with restraints, a heavy whip and a copy of the family's guidelines for behavior and punishments. Byakuya steeled himself against the fear and followed his grandfather to the blue pool.

"This is the purification pool," Ginrei said in an eerily distant voice, "It will cleanse body, mind and heart of your sin. But be wary. If you enter this pool and do not repent of your sin, then you will die beneath the surface. So, knowing that, do you still wish to enter?"

Byakuya bowed his head.

"Yes, Grandfather, I wish to enter the pool."

Ginrei nodded and removed the yukata he wore, then they bared their feet and stepped into the water together. As Byakuya had expected, the water was freezing, and it numbed his feet almost instantly. Ginrei stood in front of him, reading a prayer of penitence from the family guide, then he placed a hand on Byakuya's forehead and sent a bolt of reiatsu through him. Byakuya's eyes flared and he cried out as he fell backward and sank beneath the surface. Icy water flooded his body, filling him and freezing him in place, with the moonlight washing over the once again placid surface.

He felt Ginrei's eyes on him, but couldn't open his own eyes, nor see beneath his eyelids. His mind disappeared into the chilling depths. He heard awful pealing screams, screams his chest ached to release, but no longer could. He felt chilled through and numb to the core. He hadn't the strength to feel fear or much else. He laid still and felt the moon's cold light fire itself through him from end to end.

Voices slowly began to break through and reach him again. And he knew upon hearing them that they were the voices of his forebears, of Kuchiki clan leaders dead and gone. They gathered around his frozen, silent form and placed their hands on him. He didn't have to feel their touch for it to make him shiver.

"_Why have you done this? Why have you dishonored us?" _they asked him in accusing voices.

He tried to open his mouth to answer, but could make no sound.

"_Why do you turn away from who you are?"_

He felt hot tears on his face and could not move to stop them.

"Look into our disappointed eyes and let us enlighten you…rededicate you, mind, body and soul…prepare you for your future."

He felt their hands touch him, their fingers icy with death, their eyes boring down into him, and their power driving in chilling bursts through his blood. He closed his eyes against the brightness and his mouth opened in terrified screams.

He heard sounds of surprise and dismay and opened his eyes. The water had gone black around him and he could no longer see. Whatever had been holding him released him and he burst out of the pool, coughing and choking. He crawled out and collapsed on the floor at Ginrei's feet, exhausted and shaking. He waited for his grandfather to say something, anything, but the clan leader was silent. Byakuya forced his trembling body to move and his eyes to open. What he saw sent fresh ice through his veins.

Ginrei stood over him with his zanpakuto drawn and held ready to strike. He stared at Byakuya wide-eyed, as though horrified by the sight of him.

"What is it?" Byakuya gasped, panting with the effort of speaking, "What have I done wrong?"

Ginrei remained frozen, his zanpakuto poised over his grandson, his expression one of agonized bitterness.

"Grandfather?" Byakuya whispered, "Grandfather…please…say something. Why are you…doing this?"

Ginrei's eyes lowered to lock on his. Slowly, he returned his weapon to its sheath.

"You triggered a seirei-joumae…a spirit lock."

Byakuya stared at him blankly.

"A what?"

"A spirit lock," Ginrei hissed softly, his reiatsu bristling, "Your spirit cannot be purified, because it has become linked to another soul. When you were with him, your heart opened…and the connection was formed."

"I didn't…"

"It isn't something one wills into being," his grandfather explained, "It is something created at the spirit level. We do not know why they form. What we do know is that it forms of its own accord when open hearts are joined."

"But," Byakuya whispered in horror, "he never opened his heart to me. He wanted me for physical reasons, reasons of the flesh, for his pleasure, but not for love…Grandfather…it has to be a mistake!"

"The spirit lock is not a mistake, Byakuya. I do not know what made you dare to open your heart to him, nor how one such as him opened his heart to you, even for a moment, but the spirit lock has formed…and there are only two possibilities from this point. If you are allowed to join…heart, body and mind again…then you will conceive your heir. If not, then you will remain childless and a new heir must be chosen by our council upon your death."

"How can this be true?" Byakuya said, his voice breaking, "I swear I never chose to do this! Grandfather…I…"

Ginrei turned away and started towards the door.

"Don't leave me here!" Byakuya called, surging to his feet and wrapping the yukata around his dripping form, "Grandfather!"

The clan leader flash stepped away.

"Grandfather!" cried Byakuya, running back down the stone stairway, "Grandfather!"

He flash stepped out into the darkness, his body raked with chills and his heart frozen with fear. He ran back down the dark forest trail and flash stepped across the misted meadow. He started up the cliff face, beside the waterfall, grasping wildly and only wanting to move faster. He had nearly reached the top, when a rock he grabbed onto broke free of the cliff. He tried to recover himself, then to flash step, but he missed the landing and started to fall. His mind registered the full moon in the night sky, then pain exploded all around him and he sank into blackness.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya?"

The voice seemed far away and only half familiar.

"Byakuya…" it called again.

The voice sounded worried…sad…

"Byakuya, please wake…"

He moaned softly and opened his eyes. He squinted at the brightness of the white-walled room, recognizing it as the fourth division. He recognized also the worried face that leaned over him, calling his name again.

"G-grandfather?" he whispered, "Why am I here?"

Ginrei gazed down at him sadly.

"You had a terrible fall. You have been unconscious for several days. Do you remember?"

Byakuya put a hand to his head and groaned.

"No," he said softly, "The last thing I remember is being at the reception after my passage ceremony. I don't even remember going home."

Ginrei gazed at him oddly for a moment then nodded.

"You were walking near the waterfall and fell somehow. You landed in the water and nearly drowned. Then, while you laid here in the healing center, you contracted a high fever. But not to worry, all will be well, now. All will be well."

His grandfather's hand squeezed his affectionately.

"I am glad you have awakened. I worried that we had lost you. It is good you have returned."

"Arigato, Grandfather," Byakuya said, closing his eyes again.

Kuchiki Ginrei sat quietly at his grandson's bedside, considering how fate had assisted him. It had, he thought, been extremely fortunate that Byakuya had not died in the fall. And it had been fortunate that he was nearby and heard the youth cry out as he fell. But the greatest stroke of luck was his failure to remember. It had been easy enough to use the kido spell to block out the offending portion. And no one would suspect, because the loss of recent memory was perfectly consistent with his injury. Now, all that needed to be done was to warn off Aizen Sousuke…

He made certain that Byakuya was sleeping, then left his bedside and walked to the fifth division.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Come in," said Aizen, looking up as Kuchiki Ginrei entered the room.

The noble glared at him sternly.

"I take it this is about Byakuya," Aizen said quietly, "I heard he was awake and seems to be recovering well from his injury."

"He is," said Ginrei shortly, "And I come to warn you anew that you are not to come near him again."

"Actually," said Aizen, "I was listening the first time you threatened me. Is there some reason that you feel the need to threaten me again?"

Ginrei gazed at him for a moment, then continued.

"I was concerned that a snake such as yourself would try to use Byakuya's injury as a way to get to him again, but let me assure you that even if you were to try, he has no interest in you. He understands that you sought him out because he was beautiful, young and desirable. He has been cautioned about falling for such things again and has accepted proper criticism and punishment for his actions. He will no longer have anything to do with you."

"I see," said Aizen, "and I assure you that I have no further interest in Byakuya either. I realize now just what a mistake it was to allow my passions to get the best of me. But as you said, he is desirable…and I was not immune to that. In any case, I believe we have come to agreement. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to prepare for the taichos meeting."

He looked down at his paperwork, but looked up again as Kuchiki Ginrei flash stepped away.

"Ridiculous nobles," he muttered, his reiatsu flaring.

He leaned over his paperwork, trying to focus, but Byakuya's face kept reappearing in his mind. He couldn't forget the feel of that young, powerful body moving with his…the pleasant scent of sakura and the lovely look of abandon as he was taken. But his eyes narrowed and he flinched softly as he remembered that odd sobbing sound. He heard it again in his mind and remembered how, on the way to the hotel, it had registered that Byakuya seemed a lonely youth. But, if Kuchiki Ginrei's words were true, then Byakuya wanted that solitude…wanted to hold himself apart…above others.

Anger rose up inside him at the thought…

"Damned nobles," he breathed.

_But I will make my move against the noble families…the Gotei 13…and the unjust system that supports such nonsense…and when I do, I will make the house Kuchiki pay for insulting me._


	3. Promotion

**Chapter 3: Promotion**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_Some things are more important than memory…the way it feels to look into your eyes, the feel of your breath on my skin, the hope that floods my heart when we are one. But you will not look into my eyes. I am the one you fear. And you only fear me, because what is between us is a truth we cannot escape._**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ginrei led Byakuya past the still-celebrating guests and into the small training room that had been his until this moment. He looked back at his fully grown grandson and smiled at the lovely sight of him, his hair delicately placed in the confines of the kenseiken, the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu that had been his gift wound just so around the pale, seemly throat and the new haori draped over his shoulders. His dark, gray eyes were focused and serious as he lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head.

"Grandfather…" he said, quietly.

Ginrei knew that Byakuya was not looking forward to this farewell. As ready as he was for leadership, there were still rough edges to the young man that would have to be worn away with time and experience. And leading both Squad Six and the Kuchiki Clan would accomplish that soon enough.

"Byakuya…your promotion ceremony today brought our family great pride. You are the image of what a young, noble lord should be. You have grown out of your disobedience and have settled into the responsibilities your father would have taken on, had he survived. You take these things on at quite a youthful age and we must say our goodbyes now, though I know you do not feel ready. But a position in the Royal Guard awaits me and I look forward to serving our king."

"You make our family proud as well, Grandfather. As much as I shall miss you, I will know you continue to honor king and family with your service. I am content."

"Good," said Ginrei, yielding him a rare smile, "Then I shall take my leave of you with a calm and peaceful heart."

Their eyes met warmly for a moment and Byakuya smiled and nodded.

"I must, however leave you with a final warning. Maintain vigilance always. There will be disturbers of the peace, the ones who break the rules and cause dissent. They would seek to ensnare other powerful ones like yourself to drag along with them. Remember that, as a noble clan, we serve our king within his laws and dictates…and we guide ourselves in our piety through the rules and mores of our clan. Follow the rules and laws closely and you will not lose your way."

"Hai, Grandfather."

"And one more thing," Ginrei went on, his expression darkening, "be wary of Aizen Sousuke."

"The fifth division taicho?"

"Hai. He appears quiet and peaceful on the outside, but I have long sensed something beneath it that does not sit well with me. You cannot avoid interaction, now that you lead the sixth division, but you can certainly confine your interactions to those necessary for your military association."

"But you invited him here tonight."

"I invited all of the taichos. It would have been a direct insult to have left him out. Simply put, by our standards, I was compelled to include him, rather than to insult him publicly. And I will caution you as well to avoid interaction with him, but to also avoid direct insult. He is much like a curled snake, Byakuya. Best to leave him alone and work your way around him carefully."

Byakuya nodded.

"I hear the wisdom in your message and I will see that it is done as you wish," he answered calmly.

"Then it is time for me to go, Byakuya. Farewell…and keep to your promises. I look forward to the day when you shall join me in the spirit dimension and we shall fight side-by-side once more."

"Goodbye, Grandfather," Byakuya breathed as the old man disappeared through the shining doorway.

He watched as the light faded, then rose and studied the place where the door had been. He thought that, perhaps, he should return to the party, but suddenly didn't feel inclined for company. He turned instead, and walked slowly through the gardens, then out the open gate and along the moonlit forest path. It was a way he had gone many times before, grown old, familiar and trusted. He paid his footsteps little mind as he headed for the sakura trees above the waterfall.

He reached them several long minutes later and stood quietly beneath the widespread branches, his eyes fixed on the large, blue tinted moon that filled the sky overhead. He sank into its peaceful light, making himself content with the newfound silence around him, telling himself that he would grow used to the space in his heart where Ginrei used to be…would gradually fill the silence with other voices…perhaps, the girl's voice would console him in his loneliness.

But then…he hardly dared to look at Rukia.

Looking at her brought back the too-recent pain of losing Hisana, the shiver of being on the receiving end of the clan's disapproval, the end of his disobedience, with the arrival and adoption of Rukia. No, he dared not approach too closely, and would see her placed in a squad and sent to train. Having her so close was too much. He chose, instead to bear his solitude quietly.

"Byakuya," said a soft voice, startling him out of his reverie.

He turned and locked eyes with the man his grandfather had warned him about.

"Aizen Sousuke," he said calmly, "Have you become lost?"

Byakuya looked into the other's smiling expression and he felt something flash in his mind.

"_He hardly lets you out of his sight, right?"_

Byakuya flinched.

"No," said Aizen, still smiling at him, "I haven't become lost. I saw you leave with Ginrei and then leave the gardens alone. I thought to have your company for a while."

_"You admitted to me that you long for freedom, Byakuya," Aizen said softly, "I was thinking that while we are here, we might take a bit of that freedom…and enjoy it together."_

Byakuya inhaled sharply and Aizen looked up at him questioningly.

"Byakuya, are you all right?" he asked, sounding concerned.

He furrowed his brow, trying to figure out where it was that he had heard Aizen speak to him that way. He didn't remember…he couldn't remember when it had ever happened. It had the feel of a dream…or perhaps a nightmare.

"Byakuya, if this is about that time in the living world…that night we were together, I did say that I was sorry for letting it happen."

The noble's face paled as the memory swelled and sharpened in his mind. He could feel Aizen's face close to his…his hands on bared skin…tongue thrusting deeply inside his mouth…fingers touching him where no one else had ever dared.

And he hadn't remembered.

Something had stolen his memory.

Something…or someone…

"You…" he whispered, his face going even more pale.

"Yes," Aizen admitted.

Byakuya realized suddenly that Aizen had stepped forward and he tried to step back, only to encounter the tree behind him. The fifth division taicho's hand caught his face and came closer.

"You're blushing," he said, leaning forward, "You are a beautiful young man, Byakuya."

His mouth closed over the stunned noble's and Byakuya felt his legs weaken beneath him. He knew he should move, should push him away. He should do something besides stand frozen. He had never frozen on the battlefield, no matter how frightening the enemy. So why, he wondered, could he not make his limbs move? Why did his heart beat so hard that he thought it would explode? Why did it feel so good for this man's mouth to so deeply explore his? Why were his own arms betraying him and wrapping around the other? Why was he kissing him back?

Shock flooded his body and he flash stepped free. He reappeared at the edge of the cliff, beside the waterfall. Aizen watched him curiously and waited for him to say something. Byakuya remembered that he had been warned about this man. Aizen Sousuke was dangerous and must be avoided. And given what he remembered…how the man had taken him to the hotel in the living world to deprive him of his innocence, he found his anger boiling up inside.

_I thought it was something meaningful…that when he said that I should put my heart in a safe place, that he was offering one. He wasn't supposed to be the one to do the very damage that he warned me to expect from others. I failed to consider that he might be using me!_

_I must admit that I did, in fact, enjoy the intimate beauty of being held tightly and kissed so deeply. And though it made me blush then…and it still makes me blush to remember, I did enjoy the taste of that man's flesh. I liked the feel of taking him in my mouth…as he said, a sign of our trust. I thought that his face was beautifully lit with emotion at being pleasured by my mouth…and I hardly minded the sudden, hot flow of thick fluid I didn't know how to swallow properly. In fact, everything up to my taking was perfect._

_But then...that strange look on his face. I'm not sure what caused it, but now, remembering that look, oh...oh gods, I remember more!" _

He remembered the pain that had shot through his heart when the man turned him and took him from behind.

_When one is beloved, his lover would only take him, looking deeply into his eyes. _

The pain had been so sudden and staggering that he couldn't stop the cry that escaped him. Aizen hadn't even hesitated. Being so into taking him, the bastard had just kept on…as if not hearing…as if not caring.

And now that he remembered, the pain was returning.

"Leave me alone," he gasped, trying to flash step past.

A hand caught his arm and a moment later, the two were tumbling to the ground together. It didn't hurt to fall, but he was left breathless for a moment, and then Aizen's mouth found his and his head spun. He pushed against the other's chest forcefully, but couldn't budge him. Aizen seemed unnaturally strong. A hand found his wrists and locked them in a strong, binding kido above his head. Then Aizen's hands roamed everywhere, loosening his clothes and slipping beneath them, touching him…finding his swelling arousal and noting its silent betrayal, then rewarding it for its disobedience with slow, languid strokes. He arched his body and tried to twist free, but moving so only brought him into more intimate contact with the body above his. He shook with rage as the hand around him stroked him harder and faster and he lost the breath and the will to resist.

It was then that he remembered the Seirei-Jomae…the spirit lock that his grandfather had been so angry to find between them. And he remembered the warning. If he opened his heart to Aizen and Aizen did the same, they would conceive his heir.

He was instantly shocked back into resistance. He threw his weight against the kido holding his hands and shattered it. His face darkened with fury, he tore himself free and rolled to his feet. He stood with his chest heaving, his heart racing wildly and his hardened member still aching for completion. Aizen climbed to his feet and stood opposite the noble, observing him carefully.

"How dare you touch me…you…you…"

He stopped, his breath catching.

"You…peasant! Get out of here!"

He didn't wait to see if Aizen obeyed the order, but turned back and flash stepped all of the way back to the manor. He stopped at the gate, realizing suddenly that his clothing was in disarray and he was obviously very aroused. He stood in the cold darkness, setting himself back in order and realizing suddenly that his ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu was gone. He swallowed hard, looking back the way he had come, but didn't dare go back for it. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a flash step sounded beside him and the soft material dropped suddenly around his shoulders.

"You forgot something," Aizen said softly in his ear.

Byakuya grabbed the scarf and wound it into place, then took a breath and turned back to Aizen.

"You were invited to my home as a guest, but you have acted dishonorably. I want you to leave, Aizen Sousuke. Leave and don't come back!"

The older shinigami's eyes darkened.

"So, you truly do hate me for what happened. Or maybe it isn't even that. Maybe it's as you said, I'm a peasant. I shouldn't dare to touch such a pristine, angelic body like yours. I might dirty it."

"Just…go, Aizen Sousuke," Byakuya said, hating the desperation in his tone.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the elder shinigami merely nodded and turned away. He stopped just inside the gate and looked back at Byakuya with malevolence that sent chills through him.

"You seem to think like the rest of them now. Back then, I thought you were different. That's why I wanted you. But it was a deception. You are just like the rest of them. And someday, you will pay for that."

He turned and disappeared, leaving Byakuya shaken and alone. He gathered himself and returned to the party, where he joined the staff and wished his guests a good night. And after the last was gone, he returned to his room…the room that had been Ginrei's before his departure.

He waited in the dressing area as his servant undressed him, then wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into the bathroom.

"You are dismissed," he said to his attendant, then watched as the youth bowed and left, and locked the door behind him.

He stood under the hot rush of water, his mind spinning helplessly and his body still rebelling against him. He couldn't rid himself of the feel of Aizen's mouth on his, the feel of those hands slipping beneath his clothes and stroking him so skillfully. And now that he remembered their lovemaking, he couldn't stop feeling the mouth that had wrapped around his length…that had moved slowly up and down, or the fingers that gently prepared him…or the feeling of being filled.

He wanted badly to hate the man. And he did feel anger, because he had done those things falsely…with no intent that it should mean anything. But it did mean something. He knew it must. That Aizen had tried again to make love to him out by the waterfall, beneath the stars and that beautiful moon. It had to mean something. That it might not, hurt him with unexpected ferocity. But in the absence of the one who had caused the pain, he couldn't connect with the anger. He could only feel the hurt.

The hurt burst out of him in a choked sob. It ran down his face in streams as he held himself silent and let the tears fall. He hadn't known another person could cause him this kind of pain. It seemed that it hurt worse even than the pain he had felt so recently when Hisana died. But he and Hisana had shared mutual love. And though her illness had prevented them from having children, they had made each other happy. Now, he was without that happiness and saddled with a longing for a man who he sensed could very well destroy him. He knew in his mind that he could not afford to let himself fall for Aizen Sousuke, but his body and his heart ached fiercely with rebellion. His heart raced furiously beneath his breast and heat seethed beneath his skin as he stood wanting desperately to be touched…to be held and kissed…by the very man he dared not love.

"Sousuke," he said in a trembling whisper.

His member throbbed with just the name.

His hand slid down his body, as though of its own accord and wrapped around his length, stroking up and down as Aizen's hand had only a short time before. He could almost feel that mouth on his, that hot, demanding tongue, thrusting into his mouth and exploring every inch inside. He gasped at how good it felt to remember…to imagine…to touch himself that way. He could almost imagine that the man was in the shower with him, pleasuring him in that gentle, but powerful way he had before.

He caught his breath as hot seed pulsed out of him and released it in a sound between pleasure and pain. He both loved and hated the way it felt…both longed for and reviled the one whose face and voice haunted him as pleasure took him. Overwhelmed, he slid slowly down the wall and sat, curled, letting the water rain down to hide the tears and soft cries…and promising himself that it was the last time he would ever allow himself to fall in love.


	4. What Cannot Be Said

**Chapter 4: What Cannot be Said**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**This is what you longed for…to see my body bowed in torment, my limbs shaking with fear and my lips delirious with anguish. You stayed close so you wouldn't miss seeing me fall apart. Yet, you looked surprised as I broke into pieces, as the walls around me crumbled and you suddenly realized that you never really knew me at all. Your hands moved to put the bits back together, but they only exploded into cold grains of sand…**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You're late, Gin," Aizen said quietly as the silver-haired taicho joined him in the Central 46 chambers.

They walked past the carnage of the massacred councilors and into an office beyond.

"You know," said Gin, "You really ought to clean up that mess you made. They're starting to decay."

Aizen's expression didn't change.

"They were already rotten inside…fouled with arrogance and superiority. And besides," he said, looking back into the blood-spattered room, "I like looking as I go by. Some of them died before the belligerence left their faces, before they abandoned their aristocratic expressions and actually showed fear."

Gin paused for a moment, studying Aizen's calm countenance, then glancing back behind him again.

"There is a great deal of venom in what you do, Sousuke. You actually hate these men that you didn't even know. You hated them enough to kill them, not knowing."

Aizen's calm smile wavered.

"I don't hate them so much as what they supported…touting civility and a dependence on laws and morals, but applying them with anything but fairness. There was nothing 'just' in the actions of these justices…holding themselves above and apart…pretending to be protectors of peace, but really they were agents of oppression. And the ones who dared to question were punished for impudence…for being liberal of mind."

He gazed into the dead eyes of the councilors and sighed softly.

"These are the lucky ones, Gin. They have their reprieve. They can't be tormented and made to pay for what they've done."

"You save that fate for the nobles, ne?" Gin went on, "Speaking of which…Kuchiki taicho was rather depressed today. I was nearly able to coax him into fighting Zaraki Kenpachi."

"Really," said Aizen, his eyes meeting Gin's questioningly.

Gin nodded.

"Zaraki and I merely expressed concern to our colleague that he might be depressed over the death sentence handed down for his sister."

"And what did he say?"

"He said peasants wouldn't understand the feelings of nobles. He was really quite rude, which made Zaraki taicho belligerent, which nearly made them come to blows."

"Hmm…not much can elicit that much emotion from Byakuya. That _is_ odd."

"Yes. It was lucky I managed to drag Zaraki taicho away or someone might have died."

"Just as long as it isn't Byakuya. I want him to live. I want him to witness the uprising of the ones they stepped on, the massacre of the noble families and the throwing down of their wretched, useless king. I intend to make them understand that power is not contained in a noble name, but in a man's destiny. And wherever he comes from, the one who is strong enough will shake the heavens and make that place his own…name or no name."

Gin shook his head softly.

"They really pissed you off by not respecting you for your powers, ne?"

"What do you mean, Gin?" Aizen said with calm sarcasm, "I was made a taicho, was I not?"

"Hmm…only because you hollowfied a few taichos, who then had to be replaced. Otherwise, who knows how long we would have languished as their fukutaichos…"

"Enough…I want you to stay here and manage things for a while. I have something to do."

"Oh, very well," sighed Gin, "I guess you do need to get out on occasion, especially given the dramatic exit you're about to make."

Aizen didn't answer, but disappeared in a flash step, leaving a bemused Gin looking after him. He waited until he was outside, then drew his zanpakuto and made himself invisible to others. He flash stepped through the darkened streets until he reached the sixth division, then slipped in through the doors as Abarai Renji returned from an errand.

"Oi, Taicho, you're still here?" he said, not quite meeting the noble's eyes.

"There was still work to do."

"Would you…like me to make some tea for you, Taicho?" Renji asked, looking a bit worried.

"Yes, Renji…then you may go home," Byakuya answered quietly.

Aizen watched Byakuya pore over the paperwork as Renji made the tea. The fukutaicho returned some time later and set the tea at Byakuya's elbow.

"Here you go, Taicho."

"Arigato, Renji."

Renji gave him a troubled smile, then prepared to leave. He stopped at the door and looked back at Byakuya.

"Taicho…"

Byakuya looked up at him.

"Taicho, I'm sorry about…about Rukia's sentence."

Byakuya stared at him in silence.

"Look, I know you won't say anything, but I feel that you must be sad about it too. You don't have to say anything, but…"

He left the words hanging.

"Good night, Renji," Byakuya said, his voice a shade softer.

"Good night, Taicho."

Byakuya's eyes remained fixed on the door, even after it closed behind his departing fukutaicho. He stared ahead vacantly, unaware of the eyes that watched him, then finally looked back at the papers on his desk. He sighed softly and rested his face against an open palm, trying to focus on his work, but distracted. His eyes rose to glance at his tea, then he sighed and climbed to his feet. He crossed the room and stood by Renji's desk, looking down at it and contemplating for several long minutes. Finally, he loosed another sigh and slipped a hand into the back of one of the drawers and pulled out a glass bottle. He sipped at the tea to make room in the glass, then added the liquid and drank more deeply.

Aizen watched curiously, unable to remember ever seeing Byakuya consume liquor of any kind and curious as to how he might be affected. After he refilled the teacup several times, Aizen realized that Byakuya had no idea how to moderate…or that the effects took time to peak. Worried he might actually hurt himself, the fifth division taicho waited until he set the bottle down, then reached around Byakuya and knocked it over. It fell into the wastebasket and emptied itself into the bottom. It seemed to go unnoticed by Byakuya, who had dropped into Renji's chair and was resting his head on his arms and groaning as the dizziness set in.

_He said peasants wouldn't understand the feelings of nobles._

"Okay, Byakuya," said Aizen in the noble's ear, "Why don't you explain it to me now? Why are you so tormented? She's only your sister by adoption…only a peasant you picked up and brought home because she looked like your late wife…a redeeming fact, but not wholly convincing. And yet…Hisana was a peasant. Do you have a soft spot for strays or could it actually be that there is a noble who doesn't think he's too good to find love outside of a noble house?"

Byakuya gave another pained groan and surged to his feet, upsetting Renji's chair. He took a staggering step, then gathered himself and left the division office without turning off the lights or locking the door. Aizen followed him through the darkened streets and back to Kuchiki Manor. They passed through the entry, Byakuya managing to give a normal greeting to the housekeeper, before turning towards his bedroom and informing the scrambling attendant that he wished to be alone. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it for a moment. Then, his face paled and he flash stepped to the bathroom, falling to his knees and emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He fell back against the wall, his face an ungodly white. He put his face in his hands, moaning and slowly sank the rest of the way to the floor.

Shaking his head, Aizen knelt next to the unconscious noble and patted his face. The dark, senseless eyes opened and looked up through him in confusion, then closed again.

Right…you can't see me…

He lifted Byakuya's upper body and slowly removed the kenseiken, then unwound the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu from around his shoulders. He released the tie at the noble's waist and undressed him the rest of the way, then sat, holding him and gazing down at the lovely, white flesh he had uncovered.

Kami, what I'd love to do to that sweet body! What I did before was just the beginning. I can imagine so much more…

He shook his head and stood. He disrobed slowly, his eyes meandering over the beautiful body that laid senseless at his feet. Fully naked, he lifted Byakuya, coaxing him into semi-awareness enough to set him back on his feet, then turning him towards the shower. He held Byakuya, the noble's back rested against his chest, and let the water bring life back into him. Byakuya shifted slightly and sighed, but still seemed not to connect with the fact that he was being held by someone who he couldn't see. He made no moves, nor sound as Aizen slowly washed the glowing, white skin, then the silken black hair. He stood for a long time after, with Byakuya rested against him, letting his hands explore the noble's body.

Then, the simple exploration started to feel like it wasn't enough…

He let his hand slide down the long, slender torso and wrap around, his fingers moving down and playing over the hardening erection that rose out of a nest of black curls. Byakuya moaned and sagged against him. Aizen rested his face against the noble's and began moving his hand up and down the long shaft, turning his head slightly to brush his lips against Byakuya's face.

Byakuya's body flinched and tensed and he pulled away, staggering, then shaking his head and looking around in confusion. He paused, for a moment, registering where he was, then turned off the shower and stepped out into the bathroom, sighing as he realized he had forgotten to bring in a yukata. He reached for a towel and slowly dried away the moisture, then stepped out of the bathroom and into the dressing area. He slipped into a dark red yukata and opened the doors to the garden.

Aizen dried off and slipped back into his clothes, then followed Byakuya out the garden doors, then down the walkway to a candlelit room that bore a small shrine. The noble knelt before a picture of Hisana and stared at it silently, the fire reflecting in the dark centers of his eyes. Aizen watched quietly as the dark eyes blinked slowly once, twice, then closed.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered, "I know that I made you a promise…to find her, and to take her as my sister. I did that, but I haven't been able to do right by her since. I sent her to train in Ukitake taicho's squad. I knew he would treat her with respect…even affection…and that was better than I was able to offer her. It's not that I don't care for her. I care too much. I can't look at her without thinking of you. But even as I tried to do the right thing by placing her in that squad, I set her on the path to the trouble she is in now…and today, I stood by and let her be convicted…sentenced to die. Hisana, I know now why you were taken from me. I never deserved someone like you. I have always had to put nobility and duty before everything…and now, because of that, I'll watch this last part of you die before my eyes…and I'll never forgive myself for letting it happen. But I can't stop it. I cannot go against the law…not even for her. And it's not just because of the clan rules."

He paused and took a breath.

"A long time ago…I broke the rules and I gave myself to someone who I thought cared for me. In doing so, I opened my heart…and for some amount of time, he opened his. It was enough to trigger the Seirei-Joumae. Our spirits were locked together and my body was made ready to conceive the heir. But his heart closed again…and we were discovered. Ginrei nearly took my life, rather than to accept what we had done. I was injured that day…and for a long time I didn't remember. It wasn't until after you were gone that the memory returned and I realized that my disobedience was why you and I were childless. My breaking of the rules cost me the comfort of having a child to hold after you were gone. And now, I will lose this last comfort, this last bit of you…a fate I deserve for failing you so badly. I thought to make your life better by bringing you here and giving you my heart, but this is punishment, because my heart was already given to that other…and fate is working to take away the happiness I don't deserve. I am sorry. Hisana…I didn't know. I didn't know that when he made love to me…that I was made his…and now our fates are tied together. I won't go to this one who despises me…so there will be no heir…no one to carry on my name or to take my place. My father's line will end with me. And as I failed you…I will fail them."

He trailed off and his body shivered and sagged again. He climbed to his feet and turned back towards his room, holding a hand to his head and groaning. He collapsed onto his bed, leaving the garden doors open so that the moonlight streamed into the room. Aizen followed him to his bed, watching him flinch and groan uncomfortably, then sat down beside the senseless shinigami, pondering what he had learned.

A Seirei-Joumae…a spirit link? We opened a spirit link? How is that possible? I knew, of course, of the existence of such a thing, but I've never known it to actually happen. And now he can only bear a child with me…

He gazed down at Byakuya curiously.

He said that he was made mine…

It couldn't work out and he knew it. The damage was already done and everything laid in place for their departure. It was too late to stop…or to consider taking the noble with them. No, things must be left to proceed as they had been planned. _But_, he thought to himself, _I can certainly make sure he lives…so that after the king has fallen, when I have become the ruler of the three worlds, I can make him my consort. And I can give him back what I took when I made love to him that night. And actually, it's better this way. He won't have to be made a traitor. Instead, he'll be rightfully mine when my opposition falls, and he will never be disgraced for being mine._

He smiled and gently tucked the semi-conscious noble into bed, then slid underneath the covers next to him. He kissed Byakuya warmly on the mouth and opened his yukata.

"I misunderstood you, Byakuya. I misunderstood a lot of things, and I think you did too. You belong to me…and I to you…and someday we'll be together. For now, I offer this as a token of my love," he whispered.

He laid his body on top of Byakuya's, parting the noble's thighs and carefully preparing him. Byakuya gazed up at him with deeply hazed eyes, only making a soft incoherent sound of pain as he was entered. He shook softly and his hands tightened on Aizen's arms as the fifth division taicho began to thrust into him. The dark eyes tried to focus, tried to see, but were still misled by the power of his zanpakuto.

"What's happening?" he whispered dazedly.

Aizen kissed away the words and sank deeper into his body, holding him tighter and moved by the distant, lost look in his expression.

"Shh, my love," Aizen whispered, nuzzling the slender, graceful throat, "Close your eyes. You are only dreaming."

But, dream or no dream, Byakuya was moving with him, arching up into his body, closing his eyes and letting the pale hands follow the curves of shoulder and back. He moaned heatedly as Aizen's hand wrapped around his length, moving up and down in time with his thrusts and leaving them both sweating and breathless.

"This is a dream?" Byakuya whispered, blinking slowly and trying again to focus.

"The sweetest of dreams," Aizen answered, kissing the noble's lips and thrusting harder into him.

He waited until they had begun to climax together, then, locked in mutual release, he let the power of his zanpakuto fade. And in that moment of complete bliss, their eyes locked.

"Now I know this has to be a dream," Byakuya panted, the twinges of pleasure still rocketing through his body, "Aizen Sousuke would never take me while looking into my eyes. He never loved me. He only used me for his pleasure and left me to suffer the consequences alone."

Aizen smiled and placed a hand on his face, sending him off to sleep with a gentle throb of reiatsu.

"Yes, Byakuya," he whispered, kissing the pale, sleep, softened lips, "for now, it is a dream…but we will make it a realty. Someday, we will."


	5. Death Spiral

**Chapter 5: Death Spiral**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**They told me you were gone, but as the words left their lips, I knew it could not be true, because we are connected at the heart…and my heart would shatter if you were gone. I ran to that place to feel again the warm surrender of my soul to yours. But all that was left was silence. And all that I felt was solitude.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Taicho…" Renji's voice said, bringing Byakuya awake with a start.

He froze, pain cracking across his forehead and blazing through his eyes. He felt a hand settle onto his shoulder, steadying him, and heard Renji whisper something to his attendant. There was a hesitation, and the sound of a door closing, then they were left alone.

"What are you doing here?" Byakuya asked, placing a hand on his head to stop the awful pain.

Renji smiled at him gamely.

"I thought that maybe you might not want it to be generally known that you were drinking last night."

"Wha…?"

"Come on, Taicho…I'm a lot of things, but I'm not completely stupid," said Renji, "You got into the stash in my desk and drowned your sorrows…hey, I get why you would need some kind of relief, but you should have told me. You shouldn't drink alone…especially when you don't usually drink at all."

"Renji, what are you going on about?"

"Okay fine. You don't want to talk about it. I get it. But you need a little help getting back on your feet. I knew you would, and that's why I'm here."

"Abarai," Byakuya said, "I do hope that, at some point, you are going to start making sense…"

Renji laughed softly.

"Right," he said, shaking his head, "I'm the one not making sense."

He turned as the door opened and the attendant stepped into the bedroom. Renji turned and accepted the cup from his hand.

"Arigato," he said, nodding, "He'll be fine now."

"You may go," the noble told his attendant.

He made a face and groaned as an odd scent reached his senses.

"Abarai, I don't think I even dare ask what that is."

Renji laughed again.

"Yeah, don't ask. Just hold your nose and drink it quickly. It is nasty, but it will get you back on your feet and will cure that headache."

"I'm not touching that. Get out of here."

Renji frowned.

"Okay, but you're going to really hurt for it later. I'm telling you, Taicho, it really helps. Just…hold your breath while you drink it."

Byakuya looked at the odd, murky concoction and felt his stomach pitch, but, in absence of any practical knowledge to help him cure his hangover, he decided to trust his fukutaicho. He closed his eyes, held his breath and downed the horrid liquid, them dropped the cup and placed a hand over his mouth, trying desperately to hold it down. Renji looked on with sympathetic eyes and Byakuya didn't know whether to be touched by his obvious concern…or to kill him for even suggesting he subject himself to this assault on his senses. Too aware that it was his own foolishness that had put him in the situation he was in, but too proud to admit it, he settled for cold silence, but yielded Renji a look of tentative gratitude as his stomach settled and he realized that the headache was already easing.

"Better?" Renji asked calmly.

Byakuya nodded.

"Get out of here, Abarai," he said, only half-sincerely, "I will see you at the office after I make myself presentable."

Now Renji laughed whole-heartedly.

"See…I told you you'd be yourself in no time," he grinned.

He disappeared out the door, leaving the flushed taicho in his wake. Byakuya slowly dragged himself to his feet and stumbled to the dressing area. He still wasn't sure what it was that Renji had brought him, but he did feel the sickly sensation leaving him and normality returning to his body. He silently promised himself that he would never touch an alcoholic drink again. As much as it had dulled the pain, it wasn't worth the after-effects. And besides, there was no erasing the cause of the original pain.

He sighed and settled the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu around his shoulders, but couldn't manage the kenseiken with his hands still shaking. He called in his attendant and stood quietly as he worked the headpiece into his hair, then departed for the sixth division.

As he walked, he tried to work out what he remembered about the night before. He did remember going to Renji's desk and drinking, but his memory faded after that. He knew that, at some point, he had sensed another person with him. He wasn't sure if the memory of showering was real, but he was reasonably sure that the odd stickiness between his thighs meant that whoever it was had very low moral standards to have taken advantage of him in such a condition. But he wasn't going to bemoan his fate. He had been reckless and careless. He rather deserved it.

Still…he had to wonder who it had been…

He considered it carefully as he reached the sixth division and walked past Renji and his sympathetic grin. He ignored it, and in fact, ignored Renji and everyone else as he worked at his desk for the next several hours. He gave Renji an evil stare as his fukutaicho handed him one more cup of his dreaded cure, but downed it without comment and turned back to his work.

He dropped his brush when the memory of Aizen's face returned to him. He felt Renji's eyes on him and picked up the brush again, returning to his work with a flush on his cheeks. He was sure he had to have been dreaming. Aizen Sousuke had carefully avoided him since the incident at the manor on the day of Ginrei's leaving and his promotion. It couldn't have been…but the more thought he gave it, the more it seemed he remembered the warmth of the arms that had held him, the mouth that had plundered his…and he had been taken with such gentleness…

"Taicho, you upset your inkpot."

Byakuya sighed and started to clean up the mess. He knew he had to be imagining things. _It couldn't have been Aizen Sousuke…_

He continued to mull it over in his mind as he left for the taicho's meeting. He thought about it as he stood, waiting for the captain commander with the other taichos. He thought he felt Aizen's eyes on him, but didn't dare look at him directly. He stood perfectly still, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched, and waited. He barely heard the contents of Soutaicho's message and turned to leave quickly when the meeting ended.

"Kuchiki taicho," said Aizen's voice, "may I walk you back to the sixth division? I'm going that way myself."

To not accept would be an admission, he thought, so he nodded and tried to force his body to relax as Aizen fell in next to him.

"Are you feeling better?"

He couldn't stop the flash of heat that raged across his cheeks.

"I am well enough."

Aizen smiled.

"Good. I was a bit worried. I hope you weren't offended that I accompanied you home…"

Byakuya couldn't think of an answer.

"I am a bit ashamed of myself for…well…not being able to resist…"

Byakuya stopped walking and turned toward him. He still had no idea how to answer.

"Don't worry," the other said, gazing at him affectionately, "I promise that it will remain between us, Byakuya…and I won't expect anything of you. I know you weren't in your right mind, so you probably didn't mean it anyway. It's all right. I enjoyed being with you."

He didn't know whether to be furious or relieved as Aizen turned away and left him there, speechless and staring. He couldn't get the blush off of his face and throat for the rest of the day.

XXXXXXXXXX

He was distracted from thinking about Aizen as the days passed and Rukia's execution grew closer. Dread had settled into his heart and was a constant weight. He couldn't make peace with the fact that Rukia was going to die…and that he was helpless to stop it.

He couldn't go against the rules…

He couldn't stop her execution….

He dared not go to visit her. Instead, he threw himself into his work, trying as he did to ignore Renji's growing restlessness and anger. He had approached Byakuya more than once, subtly trying to draw him into helping Rukia. He didn't seem able to understand the forces that bound his taicho's hands. No one seemed to understand…but he knew that a lot of people were talking about it. How cold he was…and how he had no feelings. He could have done something to stop them, but he couldn't let them know his heart was wavering. The rules were clear…and he was a defender of order in Soul Society. To break with the rules would set an example that could lead others to do the same. And even though the very thought that Rukia was going to die tormented him, he felt that there was no action he could take. He was bound fast. But the ropes seemed to be invisible to everyone but him.

The council of elders, of course, supported him…but it wasn't encouraging to him that the same group who had opposed his marriage to Hisana, now supported the execution of her sister…his sister. It only made him feel more sick inside.

The only solace he seemed to have, was found in a very odd place. Every time they locked eyes, it seemed that Aizen' Sousuke's eyes registered his pain. And each time their eyes met, it seemed that the pain eased, if only slightly. He hadn't forgotten, of course, that the fifth division taicho had been with him the night he had gotten so drunk. But Aizen had been kind enough not to mention it again after that.

Still, as much as he was glad not to have been pursued further, Byakuya was drowning in solitude. And finally, he decided that he just couldn't bear it anymore. He waited until he was alone in the office and summoned a hell butterfly. He whispered into it and was about to send it on its way, when an alert sounded, calling all taichos to a place near the fifth division.

He couldn't make sense of the feeling of dread that passed over him as the message rang out…as he rose and flash stepped to the given location…as he slid to a stop and stared up at the impaled form suspended on the wall by his own zanpakuto. All he knew was that the last support holding him together gave way and it was all he could do to stand quietly, trying not to look up at Aizen Sousuke's dead body. It couldn't be real. He couldn't just be gone like that. Of course, it wasn't the first time Byakuya had lost someone suddenly. His father's death had been sudden. Sometimes, things happened that way. There was nothing he could do about it. So, he stood in silence until he was excused…and then he ran…

He flash stepped to the senkaimon and passed over, into the living world. He ran down the streets, flash stepping so fast that it registered in the air around the humans. He didn't actually plan to go anywhere, but then, he wasn't surprised when he found himself slowing and coming to a stop at a large hotel. In shinigami form, he passed through the walls and made his way to the unoccupied penthouse suite. It was much as he remembered it, as though time had stopped that day. In his tired, confused mind, he tried to resolve whether it was a good thing or a horrid thing they had done. It had certainly been sweet and beautiful to be taken with such gentleness. But then…Aizen hadn't looked him in the eyes. And that other time they had been together, their eyes had locked…but Byakuya had been in a reduced state and Aizen had taken advantage of him. Yet, he had also been discreet.

So who, he wondered, was Aizen Sousuke to him? Was he a lover? Was he someone out to do him damage? They had barely spent any time in each other's presence…and yet the concept of being without him at all was striking the noble's deeply concealed heart with staggering ferocity. He didn't know what to make of that.

He was still wondering when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. He looked down and they seemed real enough, but when he turned, he knew the face he saw couldn't be real.

His mind had to have snapped…

It had to be the stress of all that had happened…

And yet, in that moment, Byakuya longed for anything that would take away that lonely feeling inside and fill him with something besides darkness.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice nearly breaking.

"You once told me," said Aizen's voice, "that we need to have hope, even when there is none. I am here to offer you that hope."

Byakuya turned in those arms that couldn't be real and met the eyes of what could only be a ghost. He didn't entertain for a moment that anything that was happening was real. His pain had simply taken over and his heart, body and mind were rebelling against what he knew to be true. So he chose to join the rebellion…to cast aside what he knew could not be and accept this hope that Aizen Sousuke's ghost offered.

And that was why when the ghost's mouth descended on his, he met it wholeheartedly. It didn't occur to him to question how real it felt. He needed it to feel as though real. He tightened his arms around the non-reality that this ghost represented and hung on for dear life as it plundered his mouth hungrily…as it nipped impatiently at his lips and captured and teased his tongue. He sucked that warm tongue into his mouth and teased it hotly with his own. He was both surprised and pleased his kiss was pleasing enough to make the ghost shiver and moan. He was even more surprised when it lifted him off his feet…still lodged deep within his mouth and tormenting it with a rage of furious kisses.

He was carried into the room where their first encounter had taken place and swiftly undressed. He carelessly let the kenseiken tumble to the floor, the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu drop into a small heap and his haori to fall off his shoulders without even considering the small courtesy of draping it over a chair. His shihakusho disappeared and he couldn't have cared less where it landed. Aizen's clothes too, littered the floor and he didn't pause to wonder that the ghost would bother with such realistic touches. He was too entrenched in that delicious mouth, in the cascade of touches on his body, and in the fact that this ghost's body felt so real, so responsive…so perfect.

He fell underneath flesh that somehow, even being unreal, felt as hot and alive as his own. He was pushed down and held tightly in place as Aizen's mouth planted a line of seething kisses down his throat and his hands slid down the noble's writhing body and pleasured him, touching him with such desire, he couldn't help but arch upward, drag in a heated breath and plead…_kami, yes_, plead for more. There was no reason to stop. It wasn't real anyway. He was alone and Aizen Sousuke was dead. So it was all in his mind. And that made it safe…safe to feel the emotions, to act in ways he dared not otherwise, to free himself of the rules and regulations and just give Aizen's ghost every bit of himself he had held back and hidden.

He turned suddenly, overthrowing the ghost of his lover and settled on top of him, parting his thighs and straddling Aizen's heaving form, then leaning down to engage in another barrage of steamy kisses as he brought his length together with his lover's and rubbed them against each other, enjoying the heat and friction, laughing softly as he felt a touch of wetness on his skin. He crawled down that body he had never been able to fully explore, touching him everywhere, caressing and teasing until the body beneath his reared up off the bed and cried out his name with heartbreaking affection.

He moved down even further, touching and tasting, kissing his way along the fine carved breast, soft belly and surprisingly tender thigh. He hadn't dared to wonder if Aizen would have ever allowed him entrance into that devilishly beautiful body that hid the deeper, even more complex man, but now it was all he wanted and though he felt a quiver of uncertainty in the ghost, it looked him in the eyes and with some amount of clarity, allowed him to proceed.

Byakuya's hands trembled as he carefully prepared his ghost lover and moved into position between his thighs. Meeting the warm, brown eyes, he moved forward and planted a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Are you sure you want to look me in the eyes?" the ghost of Aizen asked, "You might come to regret it later."

"I won't regret any of this," Byakuya said calmly, "It isn't real, so I can do what I want. Damn the rules, curse nobility…and I will defy anyone or anything that tries to stop me."

Aizen gazed up at him wonderingly, his fingers lightly touching the noble's pale lips.

"No one really knows you, do they?" he asked, a note of sadness in his voice, "You don't let anyone all of the way in, do you?"

The wide gray eyes darkened.

"No…not now…not ever. I'll never give that much of myself to anyone. Never after this."

Byakuya put an end to their words with a torrent of biting kisses, pushing inside Aizen's body more forcefully than he intended and not caring because it wasn't real. It wasn't real the way his lover's body tightened around him, how he moaned and gasped with delight as the noble's body threw itself heedlessly against his, forgetting all restraint. It wasn't real how their fingers laced together or how their bodies shook with the waves of nearing bliss.

Pleasure exploded through his body, dragging a cry of ecstasy from his lips. His mind seemed to fall away and the strength left him. He collapsed heavily onto Aizen's body, closing his eyes and struggling to regain his breath. Strong arms wrapped tightly around him and a calm voice sounded in his ears. His tired mind could barely understand. And in truth, he was beyond wanting to understand anything.

"You are amazing, Kuchiki Byakuya…truly. I had no idea…none at all."

He slept for a time and when he woke, warm hands were caressing him again. He felt calmer inside, his mind returning from that shell-shocked place. Strangely, the ghost was still with him, still holding him and touching and kissing him with heart-melting fervor. He fell easily under the spell of that other, letting himself be prepared and gently taken, moving more slowly this time, gazing up into the lovely brown eyes of his dead lover and somehow knowing this was goodbye. Tears rose in his eyes and the last of his pride fell away.

"Please, Sousuke," he sobbed, "don't go…"

Aizen said nothing, but brushed the tears away and sank deeper into his body. It wasn't possible, he thought for something to be so beautiful and yet so heartbreaking, for him to experience such waves of bliss and searing heat inside, but to shiver with cold. And yet, as the calm vibration of afterglow settled over him, he felt both.

"You're going to leave, aren't you?" he asked softly.

There was no answer…just the touch a soft hand on his face and a gentle kiss as he was sent into unconsciousness and quietly abandoned.


	6. The Betrayal

**Chapter 6: The Betrayal**

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

_**I burn inside for you, but I destroy the things that surround you. You dare not approach me, but you cannot run from me. I am inside you now. We have become one. Hold me…and watch your hands catch fire…**_

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

It was a relief to have left the battlefield…to kneel quietly and taste the blood in his mouth and thank all of the stars in the sky that the Ryoka boy had proven himself stronger. He thought back to Shihoin Yoruichi's words on the bridge, her promise to make Ichigo stronger than him. And just as she had promised, Ichigo had, in the end, shattered Senbonzakura…leaving Byakuya bloodied and beaten.

But Ichigo had definitely paid for the privilege…

And now, none could say that he had done anything less than his duty. He had put aside his feelings and served his clan…had kept his promise to his parents. He couldn't claim a full victory, because he had not, in fact, been able to keep his promise to Hisana to protect her younger sister…but then, Ichigo had taken care of that obligation. He knew he owed the youth something for that. But there would be time for paying debts later. For now, Byakuya knelt calmly in the brush, letting his reiatsu restore itself. It was still a ways to the fourth division and he was weary.

He paused to give thought to what he would do now.

Renji and Rukia would be considered fugitives, but unless Soutaicho directly ordered him to do so, he would not pursue either. Rukia, he would not pursue, because he had already lost his right to do so. And Renji…Renji, he would not pursue because, in truth, he was grateful…grateful to this one who was more like a brother to her than he would ever be. Renji was the body that was able to do what Byakuya wished he could. He wished he could have rescued his sister…and carried her away from Soukyoku Hill. He wished he could have fled the Seireitei and found a place to keep her safe and well until the trouble was over.

But his hands were tied at every turn, it seemed. And strong as he was, he was never, it seemed, allowed to use that strength to protect what he held dear. Instead, he protected something called peace, which was kept in place by adherence to laws. The only problem was…a set of laws was only as good and useful as the ones who enforced it. Adherence to laws depended on the morals of the ones in power. And although many holding power currently were people of good character, many were not. And that meant that the laws were being applied imperfectly…which went against what he believed.

That brought the question down to what he was really protecting. In a way, he was protecting what he believed was important…but with the system corrupted, his protection was being misused to benefit those who did not share his values. And so he was protecting a corrupted system and leaving unprotected, the people he cared about, people like Rukia and Renji, who were the victims of the misuse of justice. He knew well enough that even if he did not pursue Rukia, Central 46 would…and now they would pursue his fukutaicho as well. There seemed to be no way out.

He sighed softly, his reiatsu restored enough to continue walking, but his heart, as always, too deeply conflicted. So, he remained where he was, the afternoon sun heating the half-dead brush all around and his heart as dry and beaten as their shriveled leaves and branches.

He had almost decided to continue on to the fourth division when he felt a hot wind cross the trail…a rise in reiatsu that seemed oddly familiar. He looked over his shoulder, back in the direction of Soukyoku Hill, feeling something stir inside. He wasn't sure what it was, but something seemed amiss. Bereft of sword and not yet even half restored, he should have left it to others to investigate, but as he stood, scenting the power on the breeze, he recognized Rukia and Renji's reiatsu…and the presence of three taicho levels.

He closed his eyes against the realization…

So…they must have been captured…but…why return them to the stand? The stand was destroyed. Did they plan to use another form of execution? Did they not plan to pursue judgment of the two in a lawful fashion before executing them? And if justice had broken down, and the law was not being applied properly…he had an obligation to do something.

Byakuya turned and flash stepped in the direction of the stand. He hurried back along the trail he had taken, sensing more as he closed in on the ones at the top of the hill. Multiple taichos were arriving. The very fact of that hastened his feet. He reached a covered area near the stand and slid to a stop, his eyes widening…and his heart breaking into pieces.

He is alive…

_His death was a lie…_

_But what…?_

Blood exploded around him and he felt the decline of Ichigo's reiatsu…of Renji's …and he moved closer. He could hear the words now…softly spoken words in a deceptively gentle voice that had lulled him into complacency as a youth and cost him his innocence…that had taken away his ability to create an heir with any but this one and had left Hisana and him childless. It was a voice he had thought stilled by murder…but it now rose up and calmly explained how he had lied to everyone…how he had murdered the councilors of Central 46…and used Rukia…and used him. Every bit of his coldness was delivered with warm sarcasm and disdain. And suddenly, Byakuya felt weaker than when Senbonzakura had shattered in his hand…

Because this one he had given himself to was anything but what he seemed. He hated the system of rule and held himself above it and the ones who supported it. He was heartless and cruel, willing to use anyone to achieve what he wanted. He had used Rukia cruelly. And Byakuya was certain that he knew why. Aizen hated the system of government, which placed the noble clans above others…and the Kuchiki clan was the most powerful clan. He was the clan leader…and up until very recently, Aizen had been convinced that Byakuya thought himself above others…that he had rejected the man's advances, because Aizen was not noble class. Only recently had they aired their differences and found resolve…but judging by the complexity of the plan he was describing, he discovered this too late. Rukia was already sentenced to death…and all plans were in place for the betrayal. So when he had faked his death and found Byakuya in torment over him, he had been surprised. Too late, he realized that he had misjudged Byakuya. But the wheels were turning…and he was standing there now, holding Rukia by the throat, in calm, cold words, ordering Gin to kill her.

She was not going to die because of any crime…and in fact, had committed no real crime at all. She had only been his pawn, one he chose to discard, now that her usefulness was done. But Rukia was his sister, one he was sworn to protect…and freed of the obligation to seek her capture and execution, it was his duty to act in the way he had wanted to from the start. It was odd, he thought, that Ichigo's refusal to adhere to the law…and now Aizen's treachery…cleared his sister of any remaining guilt…and freed him to come to her rescue. There was, he thought, some sense in all of the chaos. And there was a gift, even in Aizen Sousuke's betrayal.

His feet could move again. His power flared around him. Bereft of zanpakuto and the better part of his strength, he threw his heart into brutally fast flash steps that burned his very skin with their ferocity. He felt the strain on his power centers, felt them burn as hotly as his flesh. He cast himself forward, his hands capturing and pulling free what belonged to him, his body thrown between her and the incoming blade that sought to take her. He felt his feet touch the ground and closed his eyes against what was happening. Gin's weapon found his chest and plunged inside. He felt the hard shock, the violation of flesh…blood…and heart, and his knees weakened.

He was still standing…

Aizen Sousuke was staring with a look of disbelief in his eyes…

Then the weapon was torn free and Byakuya dropped to his knees, still holding Rukia tightly. He stared into the calm brown eyes he had thought he knew. There was nothing in them now, but death…and it closed in on Rukia and him as Aizen stepped closer, laying a hand on his sword. Byakuya saw something like regret in his eyes…then something started to happen around them. He tried to see, but he was too far gone. He collapsed against Rukia and the world around him grew hazy and dull. He moved in and out of consciousness, rising up long enough to sense Aizen's leaving, long enough to yield Rukia a truth he had promised never to speak…long enough to lift the last bit of weight from his heart and sigh, knowing she was safe, then he gave himself over to the darkness. He didn't want to think about what came next.

But all too soon, it seemed, life began to flow again in his veins. Despite how torn his heart was, it had not died, and against all logic, continued to beat beneath his ruined breast, each pulse sending pain firing through him. He released a groan and felt healing hands touch him, making the pain disappear and his mind spin away again. He was grateful for the fact that the fog around his mind kept him from feeling the full weight of his failures…of his naivety…his outright stupidity.

Aizen Sousuke had completely taken him in…and used him…used Rukia. Then he had betrayed everyone and discarded them like scattered leaves. And it wasn't as though he could claim innocence…or that he had never been warned. Ginrei had told him, more than once, to stay away from Aizen. Byakuya hadn't openly questioned it, but at the time had obeyed out of respect for his grandfather. He hadn't understood at all what made the soft spoken Aizen taicho so dangerous. He had never in his life met a truly wicked person.

And he still wondered…

Was Aizen truly wicked inside? Did he truly harbor so much hatred? And did he still hate Byakuya for spurning him…for refusing him…before? He hadn't felt the hatred in the body that had joined with his…

He stopped himself…

Aizen hadn't been murdered. He hadn't been dead at all. And he had followed him to the hotel in Karakura Town and made love to him…then left again, without telling him anything. Aizen had callously allowed his heart to be shattered and had done nothing to mitigate the damage.

Why?

Byakuya's mind froze as he realized something more. He had opened his heart to what he thought was Aizen's ghost. But Aizen was really there. And Byakuya had revealed himself in his entirety, throwing off all of his restraints and acting in full rebellion, because he thought all was lost. And Aizen had said he offered hope. At the time, he had thought he understood that. Now he wondered…

Why?

It didn't matter really. Aizen was gone to Hueco Mundo and Byakuya would likely never see him alive again. Either he would destroy everything or (more likely) he would be destroyed and Byakuya would never have to look on him again.

There was only one little catch…

Byakuya had opened his heart while they were together. If Aizen had, too…

He stopped and laughed at himself. Aizen didn't have a heart. Hadn't he proven that? And when they were together in the hotel, it was just so he could use Byakuya while he was vulnerable. He had always come after him while he was vulnerable…first, due to his young age…then to the departure of Ginrei…then again, when he was drunk…and again when he despaired over Aizen, himself.

Why?

Why had Aizen used him so cruelly?

Why had he fallen for it?

Why?

"Nii-sama?"

No…

"Nii-sama, wake up…"

You can't be here…

"I'm here for you, Nii-sama. Renji and I are both here."

Please…go…

"Everyone is worried about you. You've had so many people who wanted to visit you. But we can't let them in until you're better. Nii-sama, I need you to wake up. We need to talk…"

I can't look you in the eyes.

"You don't have to say anything, but I need to tell you I love you and to have you hear me."

I do not deserve your love…

"It's over now. All of the bad things are over."

They are not as 'over' as you think…

"We can be a family now."

I have no family. I have dishonored my clan with my disobedience. I have dishonored you by fouling my mind and body and heart with the one who tried to hurt you…to kill you…

"I need you to forgive me, Nii-sama."

What?

"I'm so sorry I was a burden to you. I understand now why you acted as you did…and I'm sorry that it hurt you to see my sister every time you looked at me. I'm sorry you felt obligated to find me…that you had to break the rules to bring me into the family…"

Don't blame yourself. I chose to bear that burden for Hisana…and I would do it all again…only I would do better by you.

"I feel lucky to have you as my brother."

I have been no brother to you…

"I want you to come back so that we can make things better between us."

Don't you understand? I don't deserve that! I gave myself to the man who almost killed you!

"I want to let go of the past, Nii-sama. I want us to have a new start…a better one. Please."

Is that even possible?

"Nii-sama, I love you…"

Would you still love me if you knew?

But he already knew the answer. Rukia would forgive him, even knowing about Aizen. But he couldn't confess that to her. He knew he would never be able to say the words. And so he resolved that when he was able to wake…to speak to her. He wouldn't tell her about Aizen, but he would make things right. They would go on. And Aizen would be left behind them…slowly forgotten.

It was what they both wanted, wasn't it?

But even as he found the strength to lace his fingers together with Rukia's and squeeze her hand lightly, he had to wonder. Would it be possible to leave it all behind?

Would it?

He wondered as the time went on and the hours passed. He wondered as Rukia fell silent…as her head dropped down to rest beside his on his pillow. He wondered as Renji continued to sit quietly in the doorway, whittling away absently at a piece of wood and stealing glances at Rukia and him. He wondered as the moon rose into the sky outside the fourth division, full and blue and lovely. And he was still wondering when the sun rose again…when Rukia's head lifted off his pillow…and the weight seemed to lift from his body.

He was calm inside again. He had found his center. And so centered, he would move forward. He would forget Aizen Sousuke and cling to the beautiful things around him. And with Rukia and Renji hovering so near, he didn't have to be alone anymore.

But even as he met Rukia's eyes and yielded her a small smile, doubt nagged at him from a place somewhere deep inside. There was something inside that told him that he hadn't seen the last of Aizen Sousuke…that he would see the man again, all too soon.

He pushed the doubts aside and sat up slowly, sipping at his tea and admiring the sunshine and flowers outside his window.

It didn't matter…

It was over…

There was no more need to question…

Why?


	7. The Little Things

**Chapter 7: The Little Things**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_I busied my mind and filled my days with distractions, anything to make the ghost of you disappear. I wanted to forget you and you wanted to be forgotten. But though our minds turned away, our hearts were still connected, and everything we told ourselves to keep our love at bay, was a sea of lies._**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Taicho, would you like me to make you some tea?" Renji asked.

"Hai, tea would be good," Byakuya answered without looking up, "and would you make it ginger tea?"

Renji's brow furrowed.

"Again?" he mused, getting up and heading for the hallway, "You still having stomach problems?"

"I am fine," Byakuya answered, an edge of annoyance in his voice, "I just have a preference for it lately. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," said Renji, smiling, "Just making sure nothing's wrong. It's my job."

"You are not my nursemaid, nor are you my personal attendant, Abarai. Just go make that tea and let me work."

"Okay, sheesh!" Renji huffed, "Don't hafta bite my head off. I'm going…"

Byakuya looked up as he left, shook his head and turned back to his work. The words on the papers were wavering oddly before his eyes and his stomach churned uncomfortably. He tried closing his eyes and resting his face in his hands, but his head only went into a harder spin and his stomach clenched. He got up too quickly and staggered into the hallway, moving quickly through the door that led into his quarters. He flash stepped across the room and made it to the washroom just in time to fall to his knees retching somewhat ingloriously, then falling back against the wall and striking the back of his head rather soundly. He wasn't sure, at that point if the spinning was still caused by having gotten up too quickly or if he had given himself a concussion, falling back against the wall that way, so he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on his arms, groaning. He would have lowered his pride and crawled towards the bed, but when he opened his eyes, all he saw was swirls of colors.

"Taicho?" said Renji worriedly.

"Do you always invade your superior officer's quarters without an invitation, or is this something new, Abarai?" he said without lifting his head, "Go away."

"Don't be stupid," he said, flinching at the look of reproach his familiarity earned, "Sorry Taicho, but come on…you've been like this since you were released from the healing center. You know you should have taken more leave time before coming back to work. You're pushing yourself too hard. Anyone can see that."

Byakuya lifted his head and Renji winced, looking at him.

"You're white as a sheet," he said, reaching out to steady him as he stood, almost fell and caught himself on the edge of the counter.

He leaned against the counter, then started towards the bed, only to start to collapse again, halfway across the room. Renji caught him up and ignored his protests, carrying him to the bed and depositing him there with a gentle smile.

"Stay put," he said, turning away, "I'll go back and get the tea."

"Did I smell cookies, too?" asked Byakuya.

"Brownies actually," Renji said, "I get hungry in the middle of the night. But I didn't think you liked sweets. And are you sure you want to eat just after…"

"Yes…arigato, Abarai. And if you could bring me the reports I was working on…"

"Why? So you can throw up on them? No way…brownies and tea…then, you need to get some sleep, Taicho."

"Abarai, when did you get promoted to be my superior? I need those reports done for the taicho's meeting in the morning."

"I will finish them and have them waiting on your desk."

He flash stepped out of the room, leaving Byakuya staring after him. He walked back into the room several minutes later, only to find Byakuya asleep. He set the tea and brownies on the nightstand, then turned out the lights and walked back to the door.

"You work too hard, Taicho," he said softly, "I think you're still feeling bad about before…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you still brooding, Sousuke?" asked Gin, studying the tall form who sat in his chair, his face discontentedly resting against his hand and his eyes distant and troubled, "There's nothing you could have done, what with those ruffians dropping down on us when they did. And besides, what would you have done with them when you got them here? You had just had me try to kill Rukia and Kuchiki taicho was better off in the hands of Unohana taicho."

"I could have healed him," Aizen said tersely, "I wouldn't have let him die. Another few seconds. That's all it would have taken…and I could have made them disappear…could have left false bodies behind…no one would have known they were even still alive."

"And what would you have done with Rukia? I know you have a fascination with him, but if you'd just ordered her killed…"

"I don't know. Maybe I would have just taken him…but I didn't have time to even draw my weapon before…and once the garganta opened and we were recalled, it was too late. And I saw it in his eyes anyway. He thought I was going to kill them both."

"Well," said Gin, "Based on the order to kill Rukia, I would have come to the same conclusion. Why the change of heart?"

Aizen's eyes closed for a moment, then slowly opened again.

"When he was injured, I thought of a use for her. She could have tended him here as he healed…and could have stayed to keep him company, so he wouldn't have had to feel completely shut off from everyone he knew."

"An awfully nice sentiment, coming from you. You must really like him. But I thought you hated the nobles, especially him. I thought that you were angry he kept resisting you."

"He stopped resisting. When he thought that I was dead, he went to the place we were first together, and he was different. He thought I was a ghost and he said and did things that surprised me. I realized that I didn't know him well at all. But it was too late to stop our plans. And in truth, I still wanted the noble houses to fall. But I planned to make sure he survived until I was king, so that I could name him my consort."

Gin's brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"But there's still something that doesn't make sense. If you realized he was not what you expected…and you made these plans for him…then why did you still order me to kill his sister? Even had you spared him, he wouldn't have thought much of you if you killed her…"

"She was causing him pain…pain he refused to avoid. She was a burden to him…and I thought that the only reason he adopted her was because of her resemblance to that peasant woman he married. Had I known it was his late wife's sister, I might have thought differently of killing her. I might have understood why he punished himself so by having her around. It was a costly misunderstanding."

"Well…we would have known sooner, but Byakuya was very tight-lipped about her. You didn't even know Rukia was his late wife's sister until well after we returned. It took time for that to move along the grapevine."

He gazed at Aizen quietly for several long, silent minutes.

"You know, we could capture him and bring him here…if you want him that badly," he suggested.

Aizen sighed.

"He hates me now…and he should. I used his sister in a scheme to betray everyone as part of a larger plan to bring down the king and the noble houses. I still want that, even though I yearn for him. And that would make him hate me. Add to that my order to kill Rukia, even not knowing her connection to his late wife and the fact he thinks I was going to kill them both and you can see why it wouldn't work. No…I will wait until the king is slain and the noble houses collapse. He is strong. He will survive. And when I am king, I will pick up whatever is left of him and make things right again. I'll take him as my consort and give him the children he longs for so badly. He will have what he needs then…everything he needs. But I can't help him right now…not under these conditions. It's better for Byakuya to stay where he is. It's actually safer than bringing him here."

"Hmmm…" smiled Gin, "I don't think that bodes well for Tousen and me…"

"I am not in love with either of you," Aizen said quietly, "Byakuya would make too tempting a target for those seeking a weakness in me. I won't purposely weaken myself or offer them a target like that while still residing in Las Noches. As I said, I will take Byakuya to my side later…when the king is dead."

"And you think he'll come running back to you?" Gin asked coyly.

"I won't give him a choice. He will warm to me when he sees that I am willing to be merciful. He will see that what I have in mind will make for better worlds than the ones we have. Once he sees that justice is assured under my rule, he will hate me no longer. Right now, he is focused on the cruelty that was necessary to overthrow the old regime. He doesn't understand that they deserved to die. He will later…"

"You hope…in any case," Gin added softly.

"I know. I will make him understand."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to a hot cup of ginger tea and breakfast waiting. A note by the bed from Renji told him that Soutaicho had excused him from the taicho's meeting and that he was expected to visit the fourth division after he had rested enough.

Sighing softly, he ate everything offered and drank the tea, then sat gazing out his window and daydreaming. He knew he should be angry with Renji for interfering, but his fukutaicho was, in fact, right. He was working himself too hard. He was doing so on purpose to avoid thinking about things that were best forgotten.

But Aizen Sousuke was turning out to be very difficult to forget…

He wanted badly to hate the man. He was certainly hurt and angry over his use of Rukia in his plans. He wanted revenge. But even more, he wanted to understand. Not that it mattered in the long run…but understanding seemed to be very important to his beleaguered mind. Still, he wondered if it was truly just a need to understand, or if his rebellious mind could actually want to forgive the man. He couldn't think of a single reason why he should…or why his heart would lead him in that direction. What he had done to Rukia and him was unforgivable. And he was better off, forgetting and moving on, than continuing to harbor doubts.

"Hey Taicho…" Renji said, smiling as he noted the empty tray.

The redhead picked up the tray and started towards the door.

"Renji…"

He stopped and turned to look at Byakuya.

"Hai, Taicho…"

"Arigato."

He gave Byakuya a bright, surprised smile.

"No problem at all, Taicho. How are you feeling?"

"Wretched," he said calmly, "but not so tired."

"Well, I have Rikichi ready to go with me on the reconnaissance patrol to Hueco Mundo…"

"Not necessary," Byakuya said, looking offended, "I may have needed some extra sleep, but if you keep feeding me and making me lie about so much without taking any missions, I am likely to get fat and lose my shinigami powers."

Renji couldn't stifle his laughter at that, but quickly sobered.

"Are you sure you should go? I thought you had to go to the fourth division…"

"I will go now…and we can leave from there."

He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You _were_ planning on following me over and hovering until I was done, anyway, ne?"

Renji laughed.

"You know me too well, Taicho!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, Kuchiki taicho," said Unohana taicho appreciatively, "You must be over whatever was bothering you before, because you are the picture of good health…oh, except for the chest wound that's still healing. I checked for infection, because you are running slightly on the warm side, but there is no infection. You probably just had a minor bug. I wouldn't worry overly much as long as it doesn't get any worse. Everything else is fine"

"I told Renji that he was worrying too much."

"Renji was smart enough to head off something worse by making you rest and sending you in my direction. You should appreciate how well your fukutaicho looks after you."

"Yes…" Byakuya said, blithely, "I imagine if my mother had lived beyond birthing me, she would be in full agreement. But we are not children and I have responsibilities. So, I thank you for allowing me to waste your time and I will endeavor not to let myself get run down and frighten my fukutaicho into fits again. Really…I think I liked it better when he despised me."

"Oh, you don't mean that!" Unohana said, her eyes twinkling, "You enjoy being looked after, no matter what you say."

"You seem very sure of yourself," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, I am," the healer chuckled softly.

"Then, may I have my clearance? I need to leave for Hueco Mundo immediately."

Unohana eyed him for a moment.

"I cleared you for non-combat missions."

"It's reconnaissance and Renji and Rikichi are both going with me."

The healer nodded.

"Very well. Isane will have your clearance. She is chatting with Renji in the waiting room."

"Renji and Isane?" Byakuya said, frowning.

"Ah…" laughed Unohana, "Isane is only being friendly and fending off his questions. If you want my personal opinion, I'd say Renji has grown very protective of someone…but it isn't Isane."

"Rukia?"

The healer shook her head and chuckled softly.

"You know who I mean," she said, sobering slightly, "and even though you haven't asked my opinion, I think I should offer it. Renji cares a great deal about you."

She looked at Byakuya more closely.

"But from the look on your face, I would say it's not a lack of affection for your fukutaicho that is troubling you. What is it, then? Clan issues? Work relations issues? If you don't mind me asking?"

Byakuya sighed.

"Why would I mind? You know everything anyway. You are very good at reading people. I will be honest. I care for Renji, too. He has been beside me every step of my recovery."

"But something is weighing on your mind? Some unresolved issue?" Unohana asked, "Don't worry. Renji is not going to be upset with you for taking things slowly. Just give him proper care in return and whatever happens, he will remain your friend. That _is_ what your true concern is…isn't it?"

"As I said," Byakuya replied softly, "You are very good at reading people. I will take your advice into consideration. Arigato, Unohana taicho."


	8. Snare

**Chapter 8: Snare**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Don't worry for me. I have fallen gently. While you are far from me and I am trying to forget you, the wheels of time are turning. Other eyes adore me and in time, I will make you a distant memory…if…**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Kuchiki taicho," Rikichi said, flash stepping to rejoin Byakuya and Renji, "The area to the southwest is as reported last recon, the southeast is less active than at last count, but due south, there is an oddity."

"What kind of oddity?" Byakuya asked, turning to look in the indicated direction.

"The area gives off the same reading as last time, but as I took the third set of readings, there was a 'flutter' in the reiatsu level in the area. Abarai fukutaicho just gave us training to question that exact situation, because it often…"

"…signifies a snare," finished Byakuya, nodding, "I appreciate your attention to detail, Rikichi. Now, take our combined notes and return to the sixth division office. Write up a full report of our mission, leaving room for our report on the south sector. We will send a hell butterfly after investigating."

"But sir…regulations state that…"

"Don't worry about it, Rikichi," Renji said, smiling, "I will make sure that Kuchiki taicho performs in a non-combat role for the mission. I won't let him lift a shikai!"

"That's a very smug attitude you have," Byakuya commented as they watched the young shinigami flash step away, "You almost sound as though you could stop me if I…"

"I just didn't want the kid worrying. He doesn't want to see you hurt again. None of us who are protecting you do, Taicho."

"I thought I was hated and feared by just about everyone…until lately. You do realize that the change in how they view me began with you, Abarai, do you not?"

"What?" the redhead queried, sounding surprised.

"I am the one who wears the haori, but you are the one who has the most to do with how I am received. The ones we lead look up to you. You interact with them and see to their training needs. You keep them in order…so that I can focus on finding the best use of our combined strength and employ it. It wouldn't be possible for me to see to their day to day needs and still lead effectively…so what I am saying is that it isn't just me who leads our squad. It is you, as well. If either of us doesn't do what we are supposed to…both of us will fail. We really do depend on each other. And up to this point, you have provided everything our squad needs to make it excel. But there is something that I have not been doing that has held us all back somewhat."

"And what is that, Taicho?"

Byakuya flash stepped forward and scanned the area around them. Almost immediately, he sensed the fluctuation in power that had caught Rikichi's attention. He turned toward it, senses extended and Renji at his side.

"A taicho isn't just someone dedicated to strategy…using people as resources. The taicho's power isn't just for assailing enemies. You have worked hard to provide me with a capable and cohesive team of fighters, but how I use them makes a difference. I must employ them in the way we are strongest, but that means, of course, putting some at risk for the good of all. And if you are going to be the one who assigns risk and you want your group to remain cohesive, you have to concern yourself with the emotions of your fighters."

Renji glanced up at him as they continued walking.

"Being noble born, I was trained to ignore or put aside my own emotions…but when you lead, emotions are an important part of what happens, both on and off the battlefield. Off the battlefield, emotion either builds or breaks down the confidence, loyalty and protectiveness of each fighter…changing their value to the whole group. And on the battlefield, emotion can make them fight harder…or cave in to fear. A fighting group needs to respect the power and ability of its taicho, but also needs to trust that taicho to protect each person he leads. If that trust is not there, then confidence becomes shaky, loyalties are questioned and whole group protectiveness gives way to survival thinking."

"But, Taicho, we haven't had a problem with those things. The guys know they can trust in your strength…"

"Ichigo shattered my strength in a way it has never been shattered before. There was the potential for our group's confidence in me to protect them to be shattered as well. And your role in their perception of me became very important. You could have focused on spending all of your time holding them together and left me to recover or not as fate decreed. But you took the higher road. You not only held them together…you remained at my side, supporting me in my recovery. You showed affection and loyalty that not only affected me, but it affected them. It set a good example."

"I wasn't trying to…"

"No…you are a natural leader. You do these things without thought. Some things about leadership that I have learned, you haven't had to. You know already. And now that your powers are meeting up with that natural ability, it is time for you to change your role in the Gotei 13, Renji. I want you to take the next taicho's exam."

"Wha…huh? You want to run that by me again, Taicho? Because I know you can't have just said what I heard…"

"I said…it is time for you to advance."

"B-but, you just kicked my ass in battle and I barely put a scratch on you! I'm not strong enough to be…"

"Strength is only part of the whole…and while your strength hasn't matched mine yet…it is well on the way to doing so. And in any case, there are many other qualities that are equally important. In addition, while you go through the process of advancement, you and I will train together, so that when you reach the final steps and earn your haori, you will be ready to assume command."

Renji smiled.

"That sounds…wonderful, taicho. And…if you say that I am ready to advance, I trust that I must be."

"So, let's take a step forward together," Byakuya said, looking down into a rocky, shaded valley before them, "You have come to a snare and you have to disarm it. You must send a weaker fighter to spring the trap or you must rely on your own strength. I am the weaker fighter."

Renji nodded, thinking.

"I think I should go, myself. I mean…if I know you are weaker…"

Byakuya smiled tolerantly.

"Yet…if you become trapped, you have to depend on a weaker fighter to free you."

"But if I send the weaker fighter…I could lose him," Renji mused.

"Do you see it now?"

"What? That it's him or me? Taicho…"

"No," Byakuya said patiently, "that sometimes the answer isn't black and white…that sometimes it is your personality and style of leadership that will decide the unclear things. Take this snare. Which of us should spring the trap?"

"Me, of course," Renji said quickly, but then stopped, "Right?"

"I told you…sometimes command decisions must be based on your personality, style of leadership…instincts. Make the decision, Renji. Who will spring the trap?"

"Wait…you aren't supposed to be using your powers…and the one who stays here will have to. Logic says that you should go and spring the trap and I should hope like hell I don't make a mistake."

"Very well," Byakuya said, moving forward.

Renji bit back the urge to tell Byakuya to be careful and moved on silent feet into position at the top of the valley. Byakuya advanced cautiously, picking his way delicately through the rocks and honing in on the threat. He sensed the hollows all around them, carefully concealed and waiting. He leaked enough spiritual pressure to taunt them and slowly approached the place he judged they would spring the attack.

Teased by the promise of his reiatsu, the hollows moved too soon, giving him sufficient time to raise a strong shield as the horde rose up around him. At the top of the valley, Renji realized there were too many for his shikai to vanquish.

"Ban kai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

The skeletal snake roared to life and soared down into the valley, devouring scores of hollows as it went. He directed it around the surrounded taicho. But as the normal hollows fell away, Renji sensed something more powerful coming to life. He gazed down in horror as long black limbs began to shoot out of the rocks near Byakuya, fastening themselves on the entrapped taicho's shielding and beginning to engulf it. Renji flash stepped down into the valley, sending Zabimaru ahead of him.

"Hikotsu taihou!" he shouted, sending a blast of red fire into the rocks from which the black limbs extended.

The dark limbs quaked and then shot out in Renji's direction. The redhead turned Zabimaru and sent him on the attack again. This time, the black limbs shattered. He sent Zabimaru in to finish off the creature, then swept across the small valley, making certain it was clear of threats before flash stepping to Byakuya's side and watching as his shielding faded. The noble nodded appreciatively.

"Nicely done, Abarai. Well read and executed…and I only had to use a basic shield. The snare is cleared. Let's go home."

"Hai, Taicho," Renji said, breathlessly.

The redhead was quiet as they returned to the base and pensive as they passed through the senkaimon and back into the Seireitei. Byakuya left him to his thoughts and said nothing until they had reached the sixth division and finished filing their reports. He sat at his desk, pretending to read a document, but watching Renji out of the corner of one eye. He caught the furtive glances in his direction and a smile crept onto his lips. It was as he suspected. Renji was watching him carefully.

_He is...concerned for me?_

He waited for the next guarded glance and met Renji's eyes, surprising the redhead and making him flinch and blush.

"Abarai, is something wrong?" he asked, sounding unaffected.

"N-no, Taicho. Just…do you want me to make some tea?"

"Hai, tea would be good…arigato."

He watched as Renji left the room, then turned back to his work, trying to concentrate despite the sweet, warm feeling that had invaded his heart.

"Here you go, Taicho," Renji said in that calm, warm voice that gave him such peace.

"Arigato," he said quietly, sipping at the tea, "Sit down, Renji. I want to talk to you."

"O-kay, the redhead said, giving him an anxious look, "Is something else wrong, Taicho?"

"No. I have told you everything. What I wanted to discuss is something else."

"All right," said Renji, looking only a little less nervous, "What is it?"

"I want to tell you that...I am grateful to you."

"What?" queried the redhead, looking confused, "For what? What did I do? I mean, Taicho, I just...I turned on you."

"That is in the past," Byakuya said solemnly, "You have stood by me ever since Aizen Sousuke's betrayal. You have paid attention to my needs and listened when I needed to talk. I just want you to know what that means to me. We did not begin as friends, nor even allies really, but I would like to change that now."

"You want to...?"

"I would like what has formed between us to continue. I enjoy sharing tea with you and listening to you talk about whatever is on your mind. You usually seem nervous around me and stop talking because you think you are annoying me. You do not annoy me. In fact, in recent times, even before we came to understanding, you comforted me."

"I did?" asked the redhead, looking confused.

"You did. The way you were with me when Rukia's sentence was handed down and I...lost my senses that night. You safeguarded my honor, even knowing that I stood against my sister, whom you love like a sister, yourself."

"Well," said Renji, coloring, "It was the right thing to do. Whatever was wrong between us, I hated that seeing you hurt like that."

"Well again, I am grateful."

"No problem, Taicho," Renji said, smiling, "You had a lot going on then...what with Rukia and whoever that guy was who broke your heart."

Byakuya frowned.

"Who?"

"I don't know," Renji said, shaking his head, "but you were acting funny right before Aizen Sousuke betrayed us…and after he left, you were acting as though something hurt…not just your physical injuries, but something inside. I don't know who did it, but someone broke your heart, Taicho. I could feel it."

Byakuya sighed and closed his eyes.

"It was that obvious?" he asked softly.

Renji shook his head.

"Other people didn't notice, but I work with you all of the time, so I couldn't help but see the difference."

"You are very observant, Renji," Byakuya said softly, "I don't want to discuss that person, but I will admit that it is as you say."

Renji nodded.

"So…you are getting over someone."

"I have no choice but to move forward."

He met Renji's eyes questioningly.

"That _is_ what you were concerned about…is it not? That I might still be…conflicted?"

Renji smiled.

"You_ are_ still conflicted, Taicho. Any person just falling out of love would be. But you can talk to me anytime. I'll listen and I won't judge. After everything, I owe you that."

Byakuya sighed.

"Thank you. There is nothing to do, really. The person is gone and not coming back. I just wish now that I had been more cautious. Then I wouldn't be in this situation."

Renji slipped a warm, rough hand into his.

"What situation is that?" he asked, looking down at their entwined fingers.

"I can't be with this person anymore. I was never really 'with' him in the first place…but our paths kept crossing and he was persistent. And I finally gave in to loving him. Then he disappeared. I know where he is…but if he had loved me, then he would have told me he was leaving. He wouldn't have disappeared the way he did. He isn't coming back for me…and I won't go after someone who doesn't want me. I think my energy is better spent finding love that is mutual."

Renji smiled.

"I think you will, Taicho. But first, you need to give yourself time to get over this guy. And...if you'll trust me, I can help you with that."

"Oh?" Byakuya asked, his heart catching softly in his chest.

"Yeah," said the redhead, "I'm not hitting on you here, so don't take this the wrong way. Come with me."

Curious, Byakuya stood and followed Renji out of the office, into the hallway, then into his quarters. Renji stopped the noble by the bed and looked at him questioningly.

"May I?" he asked, reaching for the tie at Byakuya's waist.

"I thought that you said..."

"I'm not hitting on you," Renji assured him, "This isn't the time for that. Just think of me...like one of those servants at your manor. I'll dress you for bed and then tonight, I'll lie down close to you, just so you don't feel alone."

"Oh, that is not..." the noble started to object.

But he stopped as those gentle hands freed him from his clothing and dressed him in a comfortable yukata. He laid down in the bed and turned off the light as Renji slid in next to him. He hesitated for a moment, then turned into Renji's warm, supportive arms.

"Renji," said Byakuya, tilting his head to look into the other man's warm, red-brown eyes, "You are...not interested in me at all?"

Renji chuckled softly, a soothing purr that rumbled through his strong chest.

"I didn't say that I wasn't interested in you, Taicho," he said, kissing the noble on the cheek, "I just said that I wouldn't hit on you."

"Oh!" Byakuya said, blushing, "Renji, that's..."

"Don't worry about it," laughed the redhead, "Just don't think about that now. You're still getting over someone."

Renji smirked, making the flustered noble's blush deepen.

"But when you're over him, just promise me you'll go out with me, okay?"

"Renji..."

"It's okay if you're not interested," Renji chuckled, "Just had to make sure you didn't overlook me."

"I would not do that," said Byakuya, yielding a small smile, "I think I would be open to dating...when I have resolved things."

"Okay," said the redhead, settling and pulling the noble close, "Let's get some sleep, Taicho. We need to get you over this guy good and quick!"


	9. The Promise

**Chapter 9: The Promise**

**(An update for Dalia. You truly inspire me. Love, Spunky)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_I am on my knees…please don't make me say the words. If I pray hard enough, will you disappear? If I scream loud enough, will it bring me peace? I am lost and falling. Do not catch me…_**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Renji came suddenly out of a deep sleep, waking to the sound of a pained groan. He turned his head and found Byakuya sitting up in the bed and leaning forward, his hand on his lower abdomen and sweat rising on his face.

"Taicho? Taicho, what's wrong?"

Byakuya shook his head briefly, but shifted, so that he leaned heavily against the stunned redhead. Renji carefully opened his yukata and eased him onto his back. Byakuya took slow, shallow breaths and closed his eyes. Renji sent healing energy into the area, but a moment later, drew back in surprise.

"Taicho…something is odd here. There is strange reiatsu inside you…here. Could it have been from the hollow attack? That black creature attacked your shielding. Could it have…done something to you?"

"I don't know," the noble said, appearing to regain his composure, but still looking unnaturally pale, "There is pain all through that area."

"I'm going to take you back to the healing center," Renji said, starting to rise, "You shouldn't have pain like that…"

Byakuya shook his head.

"No…no, I'll be fine. I just want to lie here for a while."

He turned onto his side and curled around a pillow. Renji settled down behind him and wrapped his body around the noble's, placing a hand over where he had sensed the odd reiatsu. He continued to flow healing energy into the area and to hold Byakuya against him. They remained that way for several minutes before Byakuya gave a sigh and relaxed into Renji's embrace. He curled a hand around Renji's where it still remained on his midsection.

"Arigato, Abarai," he said softly, "It does feel better now."

"See if you can sleep some, Taicho," Renji said gently, "I'll stay here with you…if that's okay."

Byakuya nodded.

"Again, Arigato. I feel better knowing you are here."

He turned in Renji's arms so that his head rested lightly on the redhead's shoulder and one hand was placed on his chest.

"I'm just sorry we got interrupted," Renji whispered, kissing the noble softly on the top of his head, "I liked sleeping next to you."

"I enjoyed it too," Byakuya breathed warmly against his chest, "And when I've recovered from this, we will continue in that direction…I hope."

Renji chuckled.

"If I have anything to say about it, we will."

He started to say more, but Byakuya winced and took a sharp breath, clutching at his midsection again. Renji frowned, worriedly.

"Taicho…really, I think you need a healer. I can send for Hanataro…"

Byakuya started to reply, but let out a pained hiss and closed his eyes. Renji shook his head and climbed out of bed.

"No more arguments," he said calmly in the distressed taicho's ear, "We're going to the healing center. Can you walk or should I carry you?"

"Unhand me," the noble snapped, "I can manage."

He worked his way to his feet and waited as Renji tied the belt on his yukata. He leaned against the redhead and allowed himself to be helped out of the room and into the darkened street. They walked the short distance to the fourth division and were directed to an examination room. After a few minutes, Hanataro entered the room.

"Kuchiki taicho, how can I help you?" he asked quickly.

"He's having abdominal pains," Renji offered.

"Abarai, I can speak for myself," the noble informed his fukutaicho.

He turned to Hanataro, wincing as his abdomen twinged again.

"I…have been having pain for the last half hour," Byakuya told the healer.

"Please lie down and I will examine you," Hanataro said.

Byakuya lowered himself onto his back and waited as Hanataro opened his yukata and began to send his reiatsu into the noble's abdomen. Immediately, a confused frown played over the healer's face and he explored the area around the pain carefully. He finished the examination and looked up at Byakuya.

"Excuse me for a moment, Kuchiki taicho," he said, turning towards the door, "I will be right back."

The noble and the redhead followed with their eyes as he left the room.

"What do you think that's about?" Renji asked.

Byakuya shrugged and shook his head.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A bit, perhaps," the noble answered softly, closing his eyes.

They fell into an anxious silence as they continued to wait. Several minutes later, the door opened and Hanataro returned, followed by Unohana taicho. Unohana smiled warmly.

"Kuchiki taicho, I understand you are having abdominal pain?" she said, leaning over him and examining him briefly. She sent her reiatsu into the area and let it radiate in his body for several minutes, then glanced up at him questioningly.

"Did that relieve the pain?"

Byakuya nodded.

"I believe I can tell you what is causing this, but before I do, I need to know…Are you comfortable with Abarai fukutaicho being present for this?"

Byakuya frowned and looked up at her.

"Renji is my fukutaicho and my friend. You may speak freely in his presence," he said, looking unnerved.

"Very well," the healer said, nodding, "Hanataro and I have both done a general examination and have come to the same conclusion. It seems, Kuchiki taicho, that you have become pregnant."

Byakuya's eyes widened and he caught his breath in realization.

"What?" Renji said, disbelievingly, "How is that possible?"

"It is the Seirei-Joumae," Byakuya explained.

"The…what?" Renji asked, stunned.

"The Seirei-Joumae…a spirit lock that forms between some Kuchiki nobles and their male lovers. It only occurs through the mutual opening of hearts during lovemaking…and a noble born may only form this connection with one other in his lifetime. It is not controlled by one's will, but happens on its own."

"So likely when the two of you were together, this spirit lock formed and your child was conceived," Unohana said, prompting a surprised look on Renji's part.

Byakuya touched the redhead's hand lightly and glanced at him warningly. Renji closed his wide-open mouth and fell silent.

"So…judging by your reactions, you are somewhat surprised. Do you need a moment to talk or shall we continue?"

Byakuya glanced at Renji.

"You may continue."

"It seems that this child was conceived about a month ago. Have you been having any symptoms? Any nausea, dizziness, power flares, cravings, fatigue or losses of consciousness?"

Byakuya sighed and nodded.

"I have had nausea, dizziness, fatigue…"

"And a craving for brownies, even though he doesn't like sweets," added Renji, "Oh…and ginger tea."

Unohana taicho laughed congenially.

"The ginger tea is likely a good thing to soothe the upset stomach. Peppermint also might help."

"So…what's going to happen? Will his stomach get big? How will the baby be born?" Renji asked excitedly.

"Renji, slow down," Byakuya said calmly, "Give her a moment to catch up with that barrage of questions."

"S-sorry Taicho. It's just that…well…it's so…unexpected! I can't help myself…"

"Maybe we should have a moment," Byakuya suggested.

Unohana nodded briefly and she and Hanataro left the room. Renji turned back to Byakuya.

"This is good, isn't it, Taicho? I mean, your clan…aren't they always bugging you to have a baby?"

"Renji," Byakuya said softly, "You and I know that this child is not yours. We have never been together."

Renji frowned.

"I know that. I wasn't deluding myself, but it doesn't really matter, does it? You said that your lover left you and wasn't planning on coming back…and you weren't going to go to him. Taicho…does this mean that you've changed your mind?" the redhead asked solemnly.

Byakuya blinked.

"You mean…it doesn't matter to you who fathered the child?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Renji shrugged.

"Why should it?" he asked, "Taicho, you said he is gone and not coming back. I understand that you had this spirit lock with him and that you wouldn't be able to have a child with anyone else…but I was born in the Rukongai. Our families there were kind of thrown together based on survival. Many who were not blood related called each other family."

"And it doesn't bother you that if you and I began to see each other…that you would have to look at this reminder of the other person I was with?"

Renji smiled and shook his head.

"He hurt you, Taicho," the redhead said, his eyes softening, "but this baby is innocent. He or she has never hurt anyone. And, hey, it's not like I expected we would be able to have kids…it's just a really cool surprise."

"Then…even now…you want to…continue to see me?" Byakuya asked quietly.

Renji smiled, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Of course I want to continue seeing you, Taicho!" he said excitedly.

"You…realize that he may return…if he hears about the child, Renji."

The redhead smiled warmly.

"Then I'll kick his ass and send him packing," he offered.

He gazed into Byakuya's eyes for a moment, then sobered.

"Unless…you think that you might want to go back to him?"

Byakuya's eyes grew shadowed.

"No…" he said softly, "I cannot go back to him…not even if he returns. And he won't."

"You sound pretty sure."

"I am."

"Taicho…I have one more question. Why didn't you seem to want Unohana taicho to know that I am not the father?"

Byakuya met his eyes squarely.

"No one can know the identity of this child's father, Renji. I don't want anyone to know. I…am having difficulty accepting just how much of a fool he made of me. I would face…a great deal of embarrassment and criticism if his identity came to light. He is out of my life. I don't want him to come back."

"So you want me to claim to be the father?" Renji asked.

"No," Byakuya said quietly, "I don't want to ask you to lie for me."

"But you don't want anyone to know…"

"Well, you could simply fail to correct anyone who assumes…"

Renji smiled.

"Okay, Taicho, whatever you want me to do. Just tell me."

Byakuya gazed at him gratefully.

"Abarai Renji," he said softly, taking the redhead's hand, "arigato."

"It's nothing," Renji assured him, "I want to do this."

Byakuya nodded and squeezed his hand.

"Very well then. We had best have Unohana taicho give us more of an explanation."

Renji nodded and stepped out for a moment, returning with Unohana taicho. The healer smiled warmly at them.

"Have you worked things out now?" she asked.

"Yes, we have," said Byakuya, "We are pleased to have a child on the way, even with it being so sudden. We do have questions, however…"

"I'm sure you do. Ask anything you like."

"Well," said Byakuya, "I would like to know how the child will be born. There has not been a male pregnancy in the Kuchiki family for generations, so although I knew the process exists, I don't know the mechanics of it."

"I can assist you with that," the healer said, "In cases of male pregnancy, a chamber forms inside the male body and the child forms as a compacted ball of raw reiatsu. It is very unstable at first, which is why many male pregnancies are not carried to term. The reiatsu is slowly stabilized inside the male body, then emerges on its own. Free of the male body, the reiatsu then transforms into the body of a shinigami child. So…although you will experience many symptoms a woman would, you will not have the most obvious bodily changes. Your abdomen will thicken and form a small bump where the reiatsu is stored inside, but it will likely be barely noticeable."

"So basically, no one will know he's pregnant?" queried Renji.

"The clan will know," Byakuya said softly, "They can sense the heir. They apparently haven't yet or they would have been at me asking…"

He stopped himself and a deeply troubled look came over his face.

"Kuchiki taicho, are you all right?" Unohana asked.

"Hai," Byakuya said, nodding, "Please continue."

"The gestation will be about the same as for a woman, because of the need to stabilize the reiatsu. You will have to be cautious, because of the unstable nature of the reiatsu. I would strongly suggest that you refrain from both battle and lovemaking until the birth. I know this will be difficult to ask, but you do wish to have a healthy baby and I am here to help you do that. I will give you a clearance form to return for desk duty only for the duration of the pregnancy."

The troubled look in Byakuya's eyes deepened and he sighed again. Renji touched him lightly on the arm.

"It's going to be okay, Taicho," he said softly, "I'll be right here with you, every step of the way."

Byakuya looked up at him and felt the weight on his heart lighten.

"Arigato, Renji," he said quietly, "I am glad to have you here with me."

Byakuya barely heard the rest of what was said. He half listened to Renji's barrage of questions asking for details on how to help care for him and added little more to the conversation. He answered the rest of the healer's questions and set a follow up appointment for the next week. He took the appointment card and clearance form and followed Renji back to the division office.

"I guess you're stuck letting me run things," Renji said happily.

Byakuya nodded.

"It seems so," he said, unenthusiastically.

Renji frowned and put an arm around him.

"You're not still worried about the father coming back, are you?" he asked.

Byakuya shook his head.

"I am just tired."

"Go lie down," Renji said quickly, "I'll make some tea for you. And then you can get some sleep."

He paused, studying the noble for a moment.

"If you want to be alone…"

"Oh," said Byakuya, realizing the intent of the question, "Renji, of course, you are welcome to come to bed with me."

"Really?" the redhead said, smiling, "I'm glad, Taicho. I know that we are not ready to really start things between us, but I think even just sleeping next to you will be wonderful, and there's always later, after the baby is born for the rest, right?"

"Yes, there is," Byakuya said quietly.

Renji grinned.

"It kinda sucks waiting," he chuckled, "but I'll survive, I guess."

Still laughing softly, Renji turned and headed out of the room and toward the squad kitchen. Byakuya watched him leave, then entered his quarters and walked out onto the patio. He looked up through the clouds at the waning moon.

"What am I to do?" he whispered softly to the sky, "What if he finds out? What if he comes back? What am I to do?"

Tears burned in his eyes and silently overflowed. He loosed his misery in soft, soundless sobs, wrapping his arms around his midsection as though trying to protect what couldn't be protected.

"He set up my sister to die and cut down Renji, and would have killed both Rukia and me. How could I be so stupid? How could I give myself to that monster?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as Renji's arms wrapped around him from behind and the redhead's voice sounded in his ear.

"No wonder you seemed so out of it."

Byakuya rested, frozen and breathless in the redhead's strong arms.

"Don't worry Taicho. I won't say anything. No one will ever know that Aizen Sousuke fathered your child. Your secret is safe with me."

The promise was welcome and the words so much of a relief that his legs buckled beneath him and he dropped down onto his knees. Renji caught him and dropped down with him, holding him tightly and whispering into his ear.

"It will be all right, Taicho. No one will find out. No one will ever know."

_But, I will know, and I will never, ever forgive myself for being so wrong._


	10. The Refusal

**Chapter 10: The Refusal**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Do what you will. My words will never sound for you. You do not wish to hear their content, nor the pain beneath them. I will scream for as long as you desire, but there are some truths that should never be told.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Abarai," Byakuya said, sipping at the hot ginger tea and leaning back against the redhead's warm chest, "how is it that you can do this? Most people would kill me on sight if they knew of this. How can you lie there and act as though it doesn't matter in the slightest?"

Renji laughed softly.

"Easy, Taicho. First, I know that you may be kinda cold blooded in a fight, but you are not a traitor. Second, this is a baby we're talking about. The poor kid hasn't even taken a breath yet and already there are tons of people just waiting to be his or her enemies if they learn who the kid's father is. I think the kid will need some backup. Besides," the redhead went on, "You're pretty damned cute when you're pregnant. You're even cute, bent over the toilet, throwing up. I don't know why, you just are."

Byakuya let out an amused breath.

"You are insane, Abarai," he said with mock disgust, "You do know you're going to be right next to me on the Sokyoku when this comes out, right?"

"No way," said Renji, "It will be all right. Just keep quiet about it and everyone will assume the kid is mine."

"Renji, Aizen won't be fooled if he hears. He…"

"Stop worrying over it now," insisted the redhead, "Get some rest and just let things go for a while. You're still in shock over finding out you're pregnant. And the stress is enough already without you worrying and adding more."

Byakuya nodded.

"You're right, of course," he said, barely stifling a yawn, "I haven't been able to think straight since I found out about this. But truly, you have made things much more bearable. Arigato, Renji."

The redhead smiled.

"You're welcome, Taicho. Now, sleep, will you? I have a feeling that things are only going to get more stressful later on."

He ran his fingers gently through the noble's dark, silken hair and brought his head to rest on a warm shoulder. Byakuya fell asleep to the sound of the redhead's beating heart and the feel of a comforting hand rubbing his lower abdomen.

Long after the two had fallen asleep, Byakuya's abdomen began to glow softly. They woke to the soft pulsation of the area as the reiatsu inside the stunned noble reached sentience.

"What's happening?" whispered Renji, staring.

"It's the baby's reiatsu," Byakuya said breathlessly, "It has gained sentience! I can feel it, Renji…its consciousness. I can feel it!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke had fallen asleep in his window seat, while staring out at the stars. He moved little as he slept and his breath frosted the windowpane when he breathed out. His eyes moved restlessly under his eyelids and as he remained leaned against the window and bathed in starlight, he began to dream.

"_He is lovely, my Byakuya," he said, looking down at their newborn baby boy…a boy with black hair and dark gray eyes, but a face shaped like his and his smile, "and you look beautiful, holding him in your arms."_

_Byakuya looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes. But something was wrong. The eyes changed as they took him in and the noble's pretty mouth opened in a surprised breath._

"_No!" he said, standing and backing away, "Leave us alone!"_

"_Byakuya," he said softly, "I won't hurt you. I promise you. I only want to take care of you and our son."_

"_No," gasped the noble, his dark eyes filling with desperation, "Just go away! Leave us alone!"_

_He reached for Byakuya and the noble stepped back. It was then that it registered that they were standing on a precipice…and as Byakuya moved back, he stepped off of the edge and into blank space. He reached for the noble and caught a slender, pale hand. He could barely hold on, but he held on with all of his strength, looking down into Byakuya's frightened eyes._

_He couldn't pull them both up…but he had to try._

"_Hold on," he told the shaking noble, then he put everything into pulling._

_The soft hand in his suddenly slipped and, in a horrified heartbeat, pulled free. Byakuya fell soundlessly, still holding their child as he disappeared into the darkness._

"Byakuya!" cried Sousuke, sitting up suddenly.

He was still sitting in the window seat. He heard footsteps and his door opened.

"Aizen-sama," said his guard, gazing at him warily, "Is everything all right?"

He sighed and nodded, then waved the guard away. He returned to his bed, but could only sleep fitfully, and was constantly haunted by Byakuya's dark, frightened eyes. And even when he woke, the memory seemed to nag at him constantly, leaving him agitated and unable to focus on anything else. Unaccustomed to such distraction, he tried to push everything away, in the way that he always did.

But all thoughts of resistance left him, and he acted immediately when he heard what could only be Byakuya's mental scream of pain.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya climbed out of bed in the early morning darkness and stumbled dizzily into the bathroom. He emptied his stomach, then sat with his back against the wall and his knees drawn up, leaning forward and resting his head on his curled arms. He breathed slowly and tried to doze as the nausea he felt came and went.

After a time, the feeling faded and he stood and moved to the shower. He stood quietly beneath the warm spray, feeling the touch of his baby's reiatsu and the presence of another consciousness inside him. It struck him as odd that, however much he might despise Aizen Sousuke for his lies and his crimes, he loved the feel of the little life inside him. He had resigned himself to the lonely task of admitting there would be no heir and had had to contemplate finding a suitable child among the sub families to bring to the manor for training.

But even having this child, he wondered how the transfer of leadership would work. He would have to name Renji as the child's father and the elders would recognize the Seirei Joumae and, most likely, force him to marry Renji. He didn't find the idea at all unpleasant. Renji had proven to be a very devoted friend and would make a loving and devoted father. It would likely work out well…as long as Aizen Sousuke never learned that he had had a child.

It was likely that the traitor would die in his bid to overthrow the soul king…in which case, he need not worry about him finding out. And even if he did not die immediately, the war would take time…and the more time that passed, the less the chance that Aizen would trouble himself to wonder about the noble he had seduced so many years before. Yes, it was better just to say nothing and to let things be as they were. Let them believe that Renji was his child's father and no one would bother about it anymore.

But he wondered if it could really be that easy.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off, reaching down and rubbing the small bump on his lower abdomen and sighing softly. This part, he decided, was not bad. Feeling this tiny life growing inside him was deeply enjoyable. He felt so much less alone in what had happened to him. He smiled as he wrapped a soft yukata around himself and started out into the bedroom. He found that Renji had already left hot green tea and fresh brownies for him before adjourning to the office to begin the day's work. He sat down and was contemplating the brownies, when a hell butterfly fluttered into the room.

"_Byakuya-sama_," said the voice of the head elder, Nori, sounding firm, but regretful, "_the elders have sensed the sentience of an heir within your reiatsu. We require your presence at a special council meeting at nine o'clock this morning to discuss the implications of this, and to begin planning for the heir's birth_."

He had known, of course, to expect it, but the reality of them knowing sent a chill up his spine. He busied himself, drinking the tea and eating the brownies Renji had left for him, then he quickly dressed and left his quarters.

He was slightly relieved that Renji was not in the office, but had left for a fukutaicho's meeting. It was easier not having to explain. But not wanting to leave Renji wondering at his absence, he left a short note telling Renji where he would be. He left the office and walked back in the direction of the manor, but then turned off early and made his way to the Kuchiki Council Hall. He climbed the front steps and passed between the solemn sentries, then into the lobby and on to the council chambers. His heart quivered slightly as he noticed that they were all present and waiting, even though he was early. It was obvious to him that they had met ahead of time to plan carefully for their meeting with him.

It didn't bode well at all…

"Byakuya-sama," Nori said, standing, "we wish you congratulations on the conception of your heir. We do, however, have more than a few questions regarding this."

Byakuya nodded briefly and the two sat down at the meeting table with the rest of the elders.

"As you can imagine, I am sure, we first must know the name of the one who triggered the Seirei Joumae and caused you to be with child."

Byakuya looked up and began to tell them, but suddenly, the words froze inside him and he found he could not speak them. He stared in stunned silence, struggling internally to understand how he had lost control of himself…then wondered if the fact of the Seirei Joumae itself somehow made him unable to lie about it. He tried again, but the words still would not come. The councilors stared in surprise at him and the head elder asked him the question again. Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere and not wishing to admit to having tried to deceive them, he instead took another avenue.

"I decline the council's request as to naming the father of my child…on the grounds that we are not together and the father does not wish to be a part of the child's life. I will be raising this child on my own."

"Byakuya-sama," said the head councilor, "with all due respect, you must name the father of the child. It will need to be noted in our historical record and in the clan record of his or her birth. You may, of course, ask that the information be kept private, but you must inform this council of the father's name and lineage."

"My deepest apologies," said Byakuya softly, "I regret that I am unable to comply with the council's wishes."

The head elder stood.

"I think that you know," he said quietly, "that if you refuse such a thing, the council has leave to use force to obtain the information. I do not want this to happen, but understand that there is nothing I can do. The rules are very clear, and you did promise to follow them. To not do so, invites harsh action that none of us want to take."

"You would torture me for the information?" Byakuya asked darkly, "What kind of beasts _are_ you? I told you that his identity doesn't matter. He won't be involved, so you don't need to…"

"That information is something the clan requires to be placed in your child's records. You must tell us or we have no choice."

"No."

The head councilor closed his eyes and bowed his head, loosing a sigh of resignation. His power flared around Byakuya as the council members combined their spirit energy and froze him in place. All were well aware that the clan leader was capable of breaking the hold placed on him. But determined to accept the consequences of his choice, Byakuya made no move to free himself. The head elder moved to his side and sealed his spirit energy away, then bound his hands. They rose together and Nori led him out of the room with his stern-eyed relatives following.

He realized very quickly where they were headed and a hard chill went through his body. He tried to speak, but they had left him unable, so he was forced to walk silently along the streets of the Seireitei and back to Kuchiki Manor. They moved out through the garden, down the forest trail and past the waterfall. They crossed the meadow and led him into the forest beyond, then turned him toward Itamigiri.

He still remembered when Ginrei had brought him there after Aizen had taken him. He remembered as well that this was where he had learned of the Seirei Joumae. He followed the elders into the old stone building, up the long staircase and into the punishment room. They forced him to his knees and surrounded him, then the head elder stood in front of him and asked him again.

"Byakuya-sama, we will ask you for the last time…Who fathered this child?"

Byakuya bowed his head.

"I cannot tell you…and trust me…you do not want to know!"

"Insolence!" hissed Nori angrily, "You have always seemed to think yourself above the rules! You married a peasant and then forced us to accept another peasant into the family. You refuse to tell us what we must know. You give us no choice but to inflict pain to loosen your tongue."

Byakuya's eyes flared.

"You would endanger the heir!" he objected.

"No," said the head elder, "The punishments are carefully constructed so that we can inflict pain without endangering the heir. You must be made to understand that as our leader, you must set an example for others by conducting yourself according to clan rules. We thought that, after everything, you understood this. It is bad enough that you have become pregnant out of wedlock, but to refuse to give the father's name insults this council and invites shame upon our house. The punishment for this is the inflicting of pain until you give us the father's name so that it can be recorded in the family histories."

He turned to the other councilors, who now stood in a circle around him. All of them drew their zanpakutos and pointed them in his direction. They raised their reiatsu and one by one their weapons began to glow and created a white circle with him at the center. Light exploded around him and it took every bit of self-control he had not to cry out.

It felt as though a thousand knives had been driven into his unprotected body. He would have fallen, but the white ring held him frozen in place as the power rose around him and the pain assaulted him again. He held against it a second time, sweat breaking out on his forehead and his body shaking. The power struck him a third time and his control began to slip. A cry of pain erupted from him and he saw the resultant looks of smug satisfaction on the councilors' faces. Nori kept his regretful face carefully averted.

Another shock of pain registered and Byakuya felt his mind disappearing into it. He had reached the ends of tolerance and now quivered inside at the sound of his own cries of pain as they echoed against the cold stone around them.

_Still, the truth is far colder._

He could hear the head elder speaking to him again, but his chest heaved for breath and he couldn't answer. He sagged in his bonds as the pain struck him again and felt the room beginning to fade away around him. He thought he heard a loud, screeching roar and the room rocked from end to end as the rock walls seemed to explode around them. The councilors gasped in surprise, then scattered, breaking the circle around him and loosing him to fall, exhausted and still shaking onto the floor.

He heard what could only be Renji's voice, shouting at the councilors, and he could have cried at the sound of his fukutaicho defending him. He felt another familiar reiatsu with Renji and managed to lift his head slightly.

_No!_

_They will kill you!_

Rukia stood at Renji's side with her weapon drawn. The skeletal snake curled around the three of them and Renji flash stepped closer and shattered the bonds that held him. He pulled Byakuya close and the words he said next warmed the aching noble to the core.

"You bastards are so fucked up that you've forgotten right from wrong! What the hell are you doing, attacking your own leader like that?"

"The clan is required to place the name of the father in our records," insisted the head councilor, "Byakuya-sama refused to do this and broke our rules, earning him this punishment. Now…unless you wish to taste our wrath, Abarai-san, you had best leave! This is not a peasant's business."

"I'm not leaving without him! You freaks can do what you want, but I'm taking him!"

He wrapped an arm around Byakuya, pulling him to his feet and releasing the seal on his spirit energy.

"It's _you_, isn't it!" hissed the head elder, "_You_ are the father!"

All sign of regret left the old noble's eyes as he raised his reiatsu and extended a hand, calling forth a deadly swell of kido without uttering the incantation.

"Byakuya promised his obedience to the rules of the clan, but I see now that there is no restraining his rebellious urges as long as the two of you live. Die then!"

"NO, DON"T!" Byakuya cried, pushing his way in front of the redhead and forcing his sister and fukutaicho to the ground as the kido blast struck him, taking him off his feet and throwing him across the chamber and into a rock wall.

"Byakuya!" Nori gasped.

"YOU BASTARD!" Renji screamed as he and Rukia came to their feet, swords drawn.

Byakuya collapsed onto the floor of the chamber and laid perfectly still as the others prepared to attack each other.

But, just as disaster seemed unavoidable, a soft spoken voice sounded and a flash of radiant power swept over all of them.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."


	11. Secret in the Desert

**Chapter 11: Secret in the Desert**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**What was it that held us apart? When I look at you now, I see differently. You were a devil and I was an angel, but now your wings look white while mine have surely darkened.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Renji!" Rukia's stern voice shouted, shattering the haze around the sleeping redhead and making him jump awake.

"Holy fucking hell!" Renji yelped, sitting up and scrabbling with his hand, searching for his sword, "What the…?"

He stiffened and his cinnamon eyes blinked as everything came back to him.

_Those bastards were torturing Taicho! Then when Rukia and I broke in, that one was gonna kill us and…!_

"B-byakuya!" Renji gasped, grabbing at his aching head, "Where is…?"

"I don't know," Rukia said, lowering her voice and moving in close to him and sitting on the edge of the bed, "Renji, look around you. We are not in the Seireitei."

Renji looked closer at the furnishings in their room, then climbed out of the bed and onto unsteady feet. He walked to the nearby window and looked out at the sunlit desert, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Holy shit," he breathed, "Rukia, I think we're in some real trouble here."

Rukia followed him to the window and nodded as she pressed up against his side, shivering slightly.

"You remember, don't you?" she said in a worried tone, "We arrived and found the elders torturing Nii-sama, and when we protected him, Head Elder Nori aimed that kido at us with intent to kill."

Renji felt ice stabbing at the pit of his stomach.

"Byakuya got in the way," he added, his voice shaking, "He was thrown against the wall, then…"

The two looked anxiously into each other's stricken eyes.

_Then, we heard Aizen's voice and the release command for his Kyoka Suigetsu._

"Shit," Renji breathed anxiously, "We are in a world of trouble, here. That is for sure."

"Well, even if Aizen has taken us as prisoners, he hasn't killed us," Rukia pointed out, "He still might, but…"

Renji thought for a moment, then stiffened.

"What is it?" Rukia asked, "Is it about what you were trying to tell me while we were going to help Nii-sama? Is it about Nii-sama's baby?"

"Y-yeah," Renji confessed softly, his head bowing and his fingertips touching the warm glass in front of him, "about that."

"You said to me that you weren't the father of Nii-sama's heir," the young woman prompted him.

"Right," Renji agreed, "I'm not. I was only gonna claim to be, because…"

He broke off, shaking his head and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Rukia, Taicho had some real complicated things happen to him while he was growing up. Lately, he's been confiding in me a lot of stuff about that."

Rukia blinked, thinking, then she stiffened and her breath caught.

"He told you who the father was?"

"Yeah."

Rukia's eyes rounded as she thought again about the scene just before their capture, then about the arrival of the shinigami traitor, Aizen. Her jaw dropped and her wide violet eyes blinked again.

"Aizen…?"

"Yeah," Renji affirmed, "Back when Taicho was younger, he…well, Aizen seduced him. Ginrei found out and Byakuya was punished, but apparently, when they were together, it triggered something called…"

"The Seirei Joumae?" Rukia said, her heart pounding.

"You know about it?"

"Yes," Rukia affirmed, "I learned about it while I was being educated in noble customs, traditions and history. I didn't know that Nii-sama had that bond with anyone. And…_Aizen_, of all people!"

"I know," Renji mused, shaking his head, "It's hard to wrap your head around that. Someone like Byakuya being spirit-locked to someone like Aizen. But it's true. Taicho told me, himself, when we found out about the baby."

Rukia went quiet for a moment, gazing out the window and thinking, then she looked up at her taller friend with a quizzical expression.

"Huh?" Renji grunted, "What?"

"The Seirei Joumae," Rukia said, frowning, "For there to be a baby, they would have to have been together again, and recently. But…"

She stopped as Renji's eyes filled suddenly with sad sympathy.

"Just before the betrayal," Renji admitted, "It could've been when Taicho swiped some liquor from my desk and got drunk because he was agonizing over your sentence, or…coulda been when Aizen faked his death. But, whenever it happened, Taicho got pregnant, and he thought that it was over, because…well, who's gonna be able to overlook the shit Aizen pulled? The elders, the Gotei 13, Central 46? They would've imprisoned Taicho in a second and had him on trial for treason, at the least. And that baby?"

"The elders would know that with the Seirei Joumae, they couldn't get other heirs from Nii-sama, though I don't know really if they would have been so shocked they might've ordered the baby aborted and just chosen another heir from among the subfamilies. But whatever happened with the baby, Nii-sama would have been disgraced. Disgraced…imprisoned, maybe executed."

Renji took a breath and loosed it again in a deep, shuddering sigh.

"Maybe it's not so bad that we're here, then," he concluded, "We may be Aizen's prisoners, but if the bastard actually has feelings for Taicho, then…"

He broke off and the two turned as the door to their chamber suddenly opened.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to a deep throbbing in his head and a feeling of heaviness of body that seemed almost stifling. He groaned and tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but immediately felt a touch on his arm and heard a familiar male voice speaking softly, but urgently.

"Don't try to move too much. You are safe, and your body and the baby's are stable, at the moment."

He obeyed the request not to move too much, but focused then on slowly raising the heavy lids on his eyes. He blinked slowly to clear his vision, then honed in on two fuzzy shapes beside his bed, one who appeared to be an aged healer, and the other, the traitor and leader of the enemy forces in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Sousuke.

"Aizen."

The traitor's lips curved upward, and the man's brown eyes reflected quiet relief.

"How are you feeling?" Aizen asked, taking the noble's pale hand in his, "You've been unconscious for awhile. I was concerned for you."

"R-rukia? Renji?" Byakuya managed.

"Here, my boy," the healer intervened, handing him a cup of water, "Have a bit to drink. You should eat something soon as well to sustain your reiatsu. I will go and bring something."

"But, you say the baby is all right?" Byakuya asked, sitting up to take a sip of the water.

The old healer exchanged glances with Aizen, who gave him a little nod.

"Eh, you and the baby are stable for now, but…there are some things we will talk about when you have rested a bit."

"If the baby is in danger, then we need to speak now," Byakuya answered sternly.

"Now, now," Aizen chided him, laying a hand on his forearm, "Haruto has every intention of discussing everything with you, but you must restore yourself so that you will be strong enough to continue the pregnancy."

Byakuya bristled, but gave a short nod, excusing the flustered healer. He sat back against the pillows, meeting Aizen's eyes confrontationally as Aizen smiled at him warmly.

"Are you comfortable?" the traitor asked.

"No," Byakuya spat, "I want to know what you've done to Rukia and Renji. They wouldn't have let you just leave with me like that. Where are they? Are they safe?"

"They are fine," Aizen assured him, continuing to look steadily into Byakuya's angry eyes, "I did have to hypnotize them to bring them here, for their safety, but I left illusions in your places. No one will know you are here."

"Hmm," Byakuya sighed, "and…what is the fate of the Kuchiki elders? Did you kill them, Sousuke?"

The traitor's brow arched slightly at the shift to his first name, and he gave the noble a little, wicked smirk.

"Don't you think that they deserved to die for attacking you, your baby and your loved ones?" Aizen asked dulcetly.

"Were you not also attempting to kill me and my loved ones only a short time ago?" Byakuya asked dryly, "Did I not also nearly allow my own sister to be executed? I am sure we all are guilty of something that makes us deserving of death."

"Hmm, I think we need to speak about what happened at Sokyoku Hill," Aizen suggested, "Perhaps if you understand what was going through my mind, you will be relieved to know it wasn't what you thought."

Byakuya scowled.

"Do not attempt to rewrite history for _me_," he scoffed, "I was there, Sousuke. You ordered Gin to kill my sister, and when you saw me protect her, then you started to draw your sword. Wasn't it much like the treatment you have Hinamori Momo and Rukia? You were done with me, so you decided to kill me so I wouldn't trouble you anymore?"

"Not at all," Aizen answered smoothly, "Remember the power of my blade. Yes, I did use it to run Momo through. It was a callous act, and I admit to being cruel, but the situation with Momo was different, because I had caused her to be too dependent on me. She would have died, just more slowly had I not dispatched her more humanely. I was also careless in not finishing the job, but you, yourself, have made that mistake…with Ichigo? With Renji?"

"And what about my sister? What is your excuse for using Rukia to obtain Urahara's hogyoku, then ordering her killed? Was that aimed at me? Were you still angry because I did not give in to you during my promotion banquet, and I called you a peasant?"

"I was angry about that," Aizen admitted quietly, "and I was cold in my treatment of your sister, but your recklessness in saving her…"

Aizen paused, and a touch of surprise lit Byakuya's expression at the very genuine struggle for words that afflicted him for a moment.

"It reminded me of the person you were when you were younger, and I was taken aback. I did draw Kyoka Suigetsu, but I wasn't going to kill you. I was going to do what I just did. I was going to bring you here so that we could talk."

"What is to talk about?" Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, "You are a traitor and a murderer. There is no way that I can simply look beyond that. Now, I will ask you again, did you also kill the Kuchiki elders?"

Aizen's smile returned and he let out a soft, amused breath.

"No, I didn't kill them, although I certainly thought they deserved to die."

"You let them live?" Byakuya mused, studying the other man more closely, "And what brought on this unusual act of mercy towards the ones who almost killed Rukia, Renji, me and our child? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it was best not to leave things the way they were," Aizen replied, matter-of-factly, "I do not wish for you to be disgraced, perhaps removed from leadership of the clan and even executed. Things were spiraling out of control. I merely brought them under mine."

Byakuya looked back at him questioningly.

"I left them thinking that you simply told them that Renji was the father of the child. Now, they will probably be chiding you for your reckless disregard for rules and happily planning your and Renji's nuptials, which will not matter in the least, since you will not be there."

"You cannot think that I am going to stay here with you…"

"I am sorry," the traitor said with perfect sincerity, "The injury you have sustained is not something that just anyone can heal. Haruto could stabilize you, but you and the baby are slowly declining. Neither of you will survive unless we find someone who knows about noble male pregnancy, and has the skill to address the injury. I was hoping that once you were awake, you would be able to think of who could help us. Urahara Kisuke? Perhaps the human girl? Orihime?"

Byakuya sighed.

"I think that the chaotic nature of the reiatsu inside me will make it unlikely that a power like Orihime's will be able to more than hold things in check. Urahara is very knowledgeable, however, there are rare few who have extensive knowledge of noble male pregnancy. There is someone who I think can help, but we will probably need Orihime present to keep things stable while I send for him."

"Hmm," Aizen said, rubbing his chin, "I think that works just fine with my plans."

"Your plans?" Byakuya repeated, arching a fine eyebrow.

Aizen laughed softly.

"I think that will be a good way to start the war…"

"Sousuke!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Deep in the west Rukongai, a slight, male figure leaned over a young girl, placing a cool, wet cloth on her forehead and looking down into her frightened eyes.

"I have relieved the pain, ne?" he asked softly, moving slightly to shield her from the sight of her missing arm, "It no longer hurts?"

"N-no," the little girl managed shakily, "but my arm!"

The young man heard a little sob from where the girl's parents waited by the bedroom door. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded to an older woman, who waited with the distressed parents.

"Don't you worry," the woman with the healer said soothingly, putting an arm around the girl's mother, "Tetsuya is a skilled healer. Your little Yui is going to be fine."

"Are you sure?" the anguished mother asked, gulping, "That hollow…"

"Now, there, my husband has destroyed the hollow and he is out right now with some of the villagers, making sure there are no others that will threaten your town. It will be all right, I promise."

"Th-thank you!"

Tetsuya smiled down at the little girl and touched her cheek tenderly.

"Now, I want you to watch," he requested, extending a downturned palm over the child's missing limb.

The girl's eyes rounded as blue light flowed around Tetsuya's extended hand, making the blue ends of the healer's wavy black hair and his sapphire colored eyes glow.

"This is the power of my zanpakuto, Rekuhime," Tetsuya explained, "She has studied your reiatsu, and she can restore your arm."

"Really?"

"Yes," Tetsuya assured her, "watch."

The room went silent as the blue energy flowed out of Tetsuya's hand, and first curled around the stump of a limb that was left on the girl's right side. The energy intensified, forming what looked like a translucent copy of the arm that had been lost.

"Rekuhime first makes the missing arm with water, her restorative element," Tetsuya explained, "then she will slowly withdraw, leaving the new limb to solidify. In just a few moments…"

The child and her parents watched raptly as the watery arm seemed to thicken into a gel, then very slowly solidified into a new limb.

"C-can I move it?" Yui asked, blinking and staring at her new arm.

"Of course. It is just like new," Tetsuya answered, standing, "You are a brave girl, not running away like the others did when your parents were threatened."

He turned slightly to meet the girl's parents' eyes.

"Yui has strong reiatsu, and her will to protect you and others, while it may distress you now, can be turned into true power to protect. If you wish it, I will see that she is recommended for the Shinigami Academy. She will need proper training to see that her ability develops to its fullest capacity."

"You…really think that Yui has this potential?" the girl's father asked, stealing an anxious glance at the girl, "Her mother and I are peaceful people, but we know very well that not all of the world is peaceful. If Yui can become stronger, so that she has a chance at a better life, then that is what we want."

"What do you think?" Tetsuya asked the little girl, "Would you like to develop your powers with other talented children like you?"

The girl looked from her restored arm to Tetsuya's sheathed sword, then up at Tetsuya again.

"Do you have to sometimes fight too?" she asked, "Most of the healers can't fight, but you have a sword like the soldiers do."

"I sometimes have to fight," Tetsuya answered, touching his fingertips to the handle of his sword, "but only when there is no choice. Rekuhime is a healing spirit, so we much prefer healing to fighting."

"I do too," Yui said softly, looking up at her parents, "but Momma's going to have a baby soon, and I want everyone to be safe. I don't want to have to run away from the hollows. I want to fight them when they try to hurt people."

"You have a fighter's heart," Tetsuya said appreciatively, "I will surely give your name to the Shinigami Academy so that their scouts can come to test you for their program."

"A test?" the girl asked anxiously, "What do I have to do?"

"It's going to be easy for you," Tetsuya assured her, "Here, give me your hands."

He took the girl's hands and held them, palm upward.

"Imagine a ball of energy. Close your eyes and imagine it in complete detail. Form that ball of energy, here, in your open hands."

The adults watched in silence as Yui's eyes closed, and a moment later, a large, glowing ball formed in her hands.

"Very good!" Tetsuya praised her, "You see. You will have no trouble passing the entrance test. And when you are a strong shinigami, then you can come back to this town and protect everyone."

"I want to!" the girl exclaimed, sitting up and trying to climb out of the bed, "Mommy! Daddy! I want to be a shinigami!"

"And you will," her mother laughed, "but first, you need to eat and rest. You just had your arm healed, little one."

"Listen to your mother," Tetsuya advised the girl, smiling down at her, "Rest and eat. Save your strength for your training."

The girl's father followed Tetsuya and his mother outside, where a group of men was returning from the edge of town.

"Takao!" Tetsuya's mother called out, running to meet them, "Is everything all right now? Are the hollows gone?"

"It's safe now, Kiko," he assured his wife, slipping an arm around her, "Tetsuya, _segare_, how is the little girl? Were you able to heal her arm?"

"I was," Tetsuya answered.

"Good, then we are finished here?"

"Oh," Yui's father said, shaking his head, "you can't leave. Not until we've thanked you properly. Please, join my family and friends in town tonight. The owner of the inn is a good friend of mine. He will give you a room and meals tonight. Will you stay?"

Takao glanced at his wife and son, who nodded in answer.

"Very well, then," Takao chuckled, "It looks like we're staying."

The family of healers returned to their cart and Tetsuya held the black horse hitched to the front steady as his mother and father climbed up.

"Easy, Arashi," Tetsuya said, patting the horse's neck.

He started to move to join them, then stiffened, staring as a hell butterfly radiating a familiar reiatsu fluttered up to him and hovered in front of him.

"_Tetsuya_," Byakuya's voice said, a note of urgency in his voice, "_my apologies for interrupting your work in the Rukongai, but I am in need of your abilities as a healer, and as one who is knowledgeable about noble male pregnancy. I am sending two officers to bring you to me. Please proceed with them to my location._"

"That sounds serious," Takao said, frowning.

"He wouldn't call upon me unless it was," Tetsuya agreed, "I wonder who he plans to send."

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji stiffened and his hand reached for his absent sword as Gin stepped into the room, grinning widely at seeing its two occupants on their feet.

"Hello," the silver-haired man said brightly, "You look much better, now that you're awake. You slept for a long time."

Renji snarled and flash stepped, but was stopped short of reaching Gin by a sudden swell of thick reiatsu. He braced himself against it, baring his teeth and glaring at the former taicho.

"Where is my taicho, you bastard?" he demanded, "Where did you and that monster, Aizen, put him?"

"Temper, temper," Gin chuckled, opening on eye slightly to look at the redhead, "You're being pretty rude for a guest."

"A guest?" Rukia scoffed, "We're not stupid, you know. We know that we're not anyone's guests here. We're prisoners!"

"Is that right?" Gin mused, touching a finger to his lips, "But…if you are prisoners, then where are your chains? I don't see any kido restraints or anything? How can you say you're prisoners? Has anyone even threatened you?"

"Like you need to say anything to be threatening," Renji scoffed, "Now, tell me what you've done with Byakuya!"

"Oh my, my," Gin snickered, "_Byakuya_, is it? Are you sure you should be saying his name like that when he's not your boyfriend, Renji?"

"I don't need to be his boyfriend to know your backstabbing, murderous master doesn't belong anywhere near him!" Renji seethed, punching at the kido barrier with each of the last three words, "I swear, if you've hurt one hair on his head, I'll FUCKING RIP YOU APART!"

"Take us to my brother!" Rukia demanded.

"Well," Gin said disapprovingly, "not like you two should be telling anyone what to do, but I was actually coming in here to take you to him anyway. So, if you think you can calm down and stop trying to beat me up…"

"I'm not tryin' to beat you up," Renji sneered, his cinnamon eyes blazing, "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Oh, calm down!" Gin snapped, his fake smile slipping, "You know, you're only safe here because of Sousuke's attraction to Byakuya. If you're not careful, you might get the wrong person angry and end up dead."

"Ha! Now, that's a laugh," Renji scoffed, "Do you think I give a rat's ass about getting you angry?"

"I wasn't talking about myself," Gin warned him, opening his eyes and freezing the stunned redhead in place for a moment, "Believe me, if you get frisky and upset this apple cart, I'm the _last_ one you need to be worried about."

Renji paused and gave Gin a confused look.

"What's that supposed to…?"

"Come on," Gin sighed impatiently, opening the door to the room, "Your Taicho is waiting."

"What's up with him?" Rukia whispered as they followed him out into the hallway and past the hollow guards, "For a second there, he sounded like he might not exactly be with Aizen."

"Who knows what that snake is up to?" Renji huffed, "I don't trust him and you shouldn't either."

"Of course not," Rukia agreed, "I just thought he acted funny. That's all."

"When does he not?"


	12. Broken Stars

**Chapter 12: Broken Stars**

**(Thanks a million to my good buddy, Sesh, for writing part of the chapter relating to Renji's confrontations with Gin and Aizen, and Tetsuya and Renji meeting. Enjoy! Lots of love, Spunky)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Where do we stand? I sense you, but cannot see you in the blackness. We reach for each other, but have only the dim light of broken stars to guide us.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Renji braced himself as Gin opened the ornate door where he could sense Byakuya's disturbed reiatsu.

And Aizen's.

The door opened, and his eyes immediately found the too-pale form of his superior in the bed that dominated the room.

At his side, Rukia inhaled sharply at the sight of Aizen sitting next to the bed.

Renji felt his hands curl into fists at the knowledge that the man responsible for so much suffering was so close to Byakuya.

He clenched his jaw and stalked closer. The memory of Aizen cutting him down on Sokyoku Hill flashed through his mind, and his sense of self-preservation urged him to stay where he was.

But his feet kept moving, carrying him to the other side of the bed. He looked down at his superior, looking too pale and exhausted.

"Hey, Taicho. You doin' okay?"

The noble gave a slight nod.

"I am all right for the moment. But it seems that I sustained an injury of some severity."

Renji stiffened, his heart pounding as Rukia joined him.

"Nii-sama? What kind of injury?" the young woman asked.

Byakuya sighed quietly.

"There are people coming to help me. The baby and I will be fine. However, until they arrive...our health is in decline."

Renji's eyes slid closed, and he took deep breaths to calm down.

"Are you all right, Renji?"

The sound of Aizen's voice split right through his attempts to calm himself. His eyes shot open to glare at the traitor.

"You can go straight to Hell! This is _your_ fault, you fuckin' prick!"

One eyebrow rose at him.

"You've regained that attitude and foul mouth of yours, I see."

"Damn straight! Let me tell you something, you egotistical, self-centered _bastard_ \- this is all your fault! You hurt him, and I swear to the gods, if I thought I was strong enough to take you down for that, I would. And then you got him pregnant, and left him alone to face all that shit himself!"

Aizen's gaze was level.

"But it seems he was not alone. He had you watching his back, ne?"

Renji's jaw dropped, and he sputtered for a moment before his righteous anger came roaring back.

"He deserves a hell of a lot better than anything you've done to him! Those bastards were _torturing_ him because he was hiding the fact that it was _you_ who got him pregnant!"

He was about to continue, when he saw Byakuya wince and touch his stomach. Immediately, he crouched by the bed, forgetting about Aizen for the moment as he impulsively took a slender hand in his own.

"Taicho? Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

The noble took a shaky breath.

"No, just...stop yelling at him. I don't feel well."

Renji nodded contritely, reaching out and tentatively laying his free hand against the noble's belly. He let a stream of carefully soothing reiatsu pass from him into Byakuya as he whispered his reply. A short distance away, Aizen watched through narrowed eyes, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry. That kinda stress ain't good for you. I was...I'm sorry. I won't do it anymore, okay?"

He could feel Aizen watching them closely as Byakuya gave a slight smile, looking relieved by his words and reiatsu.

"I know you were. I appreciate what you were willing to do for me, and still are. But there is no need at the moment. I am glad the two of you are all right."

Renji bowed his head for a moment to hide his burning eyes. When he had control over himself, he looked back up, glancing between his superior and Aizen.

He realized the traitor was watching them with dangerously aggressive eyes. He met the brown gaze steadily, careful not to show fear nor antagonism. But his thoughts ran in both directions.

_Ha, you bastard. Taicho trusts me._

_I'm gonna die for this, ain't I?_

_Oh well. At least I'm helping Byakuya. That's what matters. And he asked me to play nice, so..._

Renji cleared his throat and glanced to Rukia, then looked at Byakuya's face for a moment before meeting Aizen's eyes again.

"So...this injury? Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered, "I will need you to find someone for me."

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji frowned as he examined the locator Byakuya had given him. According to the display, the one he sought was in the Rukon village just over the next hill.

His superior's words rang in his mind.

_"I am sending you to retrieve my cousin, Tetsuya. This locator will let you know when you're near him. You will likely know him when you see him, as he has very distinctive Kuchiki features. He is a talented healer, and will be able to help me and the child I carry."_

Renji sighed as he crested the hill and looked over the small village. He needed to hurry, needed to get the help Byakuya and his little one required.

But the confrontation before as well as being knocked out had drained some of his strength, and a flashstep attempt nearly had him rolling down the hill.

_Shit._

With another sigh, he set off at a jog towards the village.

_In this condition, no way could I have really stood up to Aizen to defend Taicho. He woulda wiped the floor with me. Without breaking a sweat._

_I wonder if Taicho is gonna accept him? I know that man has done awful things, but Byakuya was really heartbroken when he betrayed us and left. You don't get that heartbroken over someone you care nothing about._

_He loved that man once._

_And Aizen is the father of the little one._

_If he treats Byakuya right, the way he deserves to be treated... there's a good chance Byakuya will open his heart for him again._

_And I hate to admit it, but Aizen could keep Taicho and the baby safe. Safer than I ever could._

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Renji didn't notice the hollow that came at his back. The beast slid noiselessly in close to him, defying Renji's reduced ability to sense and his distraction. Then, he screeched and struck out with a huge clawed hand.

Sharp pain exploded through the redhead's right shoulderblade, and he snarled as he spun away from the howling beast. His right arm hung useless as he stared at the large hollow that had managed to creep up on him.

Renji fumbled for Zabimaru's hilt with his left hand as the hollow lunged at him and crashed into his chest, bowling him over as it tumbled away, then scrambling to its feet. In another explosion of agony, Renji grunted and swore profusely, gritting his teeth as he felt something running down his arm.

He had just managed to draw his weapon, only to hear the baboon king's voice roar inside his skull.

_'No, Renji! You're still worn out - we can't fight! Not even Shikai!'_

Suddenly, an equine bugle split the air. Thundering hoofbeats made the ground tremble underneath his, and a flare of beautiful blue light blinded Renji.

"Hado number thirty-three," said a soft, slightly musical masculine voice, "_Sokatsui_."

A heavy burst of concentrated power erupted from somewhere above Renji's fallen form and sent the hollow to the ground, roaring and twisting its body to angle itself for another attack.

Renji blinked the spots from his eyes just in time to see hooves tearing into the ground inches from his face.

"Holy shit!"

"Stay still, and Arashi will not step on you."

He looked up to see lovely sapphire eyes focused on him, lighting a pale, beautiful and determined face that instantly reminded him of Byakuya. Blue reiatsu blazed around both man and horse and the black stallion stamped a foot at the hollow and pawed aggressively at the ground.

The stranger brandished a blue steel blade and turned his attention to the hollow. He breathed a soft command, and Renji watched in wonder as a flood of copies of man and horse appeared all around him. He felt an odd sense of disorientation as the hollow slashed at the nearest copies, destroying some of them. The feeling of the blue-eyed shinigami's presence seemed to shift from place to place at a dizzying rate of speed, then one of the copies slashed at the hollow, and to Renji's surprise, cut through the hollow's huge body effortlessly.

_Damn…_

The hollow exploded into a dark flash of scattered reiatsu and screamed again as it disappeared. The copies of the man and horse disappeared, except for the one still protectively positioned in front of the still stunned and now completely enthralled redhead.

"Nice work," he chuckled, starting to climb to his feet as the young man dismounted and offered him a slim, soft hand, "Let me guess. You're Kuchiki Tetsuya?"

"And you must be one of the officers my cousin informed me he was sending," Tetsuya concluded, "Was there another with you?"

"There was supposed to be," Renji affirmed as he brushed the dust off of his uniform, "but as we were getting ready to leave, Taicho complained he was having some pain and he seemed to get dizzy."

"His injury is that bad?" Tetsuya mused anxiously, "But then, he wouldn't send for me unless it was very serious."

"Well, the healer seemed to get things under control again, but Rukia didn't want to leave him, and I thought I was fine coming to get you myself."

Renji laughed sheepishly.

"I guess I wasn't thinking about the fact I'd been in a fight just before and unconscious for awhile."

"That was reckless of you," Tetsuya chided him, in a way that made the point without sounding at all harsh, "I wouldn't want you to be hurt…ah…"

"Abarai," Renji said, offering his hand, which Tetsuya took gently, "R…"

"Abarai Renji, his fukutaicho?" Tetsuya inquired, "Byakuya-sama mentioned that he had chosen you, the last time I saw him, however, a lot has happened since then, I understand. I heard that three of the taichos have betrayed the Gotei 13 and have gone to Hueco Mundo. I was so surprised to hear that Aizen taicho was among them. I met him once, and he was not at all the kind of person who I thought would ever betray all of us."

"Yeah…well, there have been quite a few surprises lately, not all of them good," Renji sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I think Byakuya…erm…Taicho, will want to explain things himself, but I probably should warn you that Taicho and Rukia are in Hueco Mundo, with Aizen Sousuke."

Tetsuya's blue eyes widened with alarm.

"He has not…!" he began.

"No," Renji said firmly, "Taicho ain't no traitor. There's just…stuff happening between Aizen and Taicho, and Aizen's not holding him prisoner, but Taicho is injured and he needs you."

Tetsuya's brow furrowed for a moment.

"But he said that he needed me because of my knowledge of noble male pregnancy."

"Y-yeah," Renji confirmed, reading the signs of wary comprehension in the other man's eyes, "Tetusya-san, it's complicated, but you can trust that Byakuya would never betray any of us. What's happening is…is something he and Aizen don't really control."

"I see," Tetsuya said worriedly, "Then, of course, I will come with you, but please, allow me to at least heal you and restore your reiatsu, Renji-san. I am surprised you were not restored completely before you came here."

"Eh, I was in kind of a hurry. While Taicho may be stable right now, we don't know how long he'll stay that way."

"Well, you won't be in good shape to be of help to him if you do not take care of yourself, and you'll worry him if you are careless."

"Yeah, sorry," Renji chuckled, "Go ahead, then, but we need to hurry."

"I promise, this will not take very long."

The two knelt beneath the branches of a nearby tree and Tetsuya moved in close behind the already fidgeting fukutaicho. He extended his hands so that they were just short of touching the backs of Renji's shoulders, and he closed his eyes, focusing intently as the blue light rose around them and began to sink into Renji's weary body. The redhead felt warmth on his face and a little twinge went through his loins at just the touch of the other young man's power. Peeking over his shoulder, he saw that Tetsuya also appeared to be blushing. A little breeze brushed by them and Renji felt a touch of dizziness or perhaps a little giddiness at the mingled scents of sweet sakura and fine leather that tenderly invaded.

"Are you all right, Renji-san?" Tetsuya asked, startling the flustered redhead, "You were swaying a bit."

"I kinda felt dizzy for a moment," Renji confessed.

"Hmm, do you think you might have sustained a head injury?"

_Not exactly…that's not the head I need to worry about. Keep it together, little Renji!_

Renji stiffened as a soft, wispy voice suddenly sounded in his head.

_How dare you think rude things about my master!_

"Huh?" Renji yelped, flinching and looking around, "Did someone say something?"

"Um," Tetsuya said, looking at him quizzically, "I asked if you thought you might have sustained a head injury."

"But I meant…"

Renji paused, noticing the black horse standing a short distance away casting angry blue eyes on him and baring his teeth slightly.

"Eh, does he always look like he wants to kick people?"

Tetsuya glanced at the stallion and gave him a little warning frown.

"I am sorry," he apologized, "Arashi is very protective of me and sometimes has poor manners, but he won't hurt you."

"Good to know," Renji said, smirking and glancing at the horse again, "Hey, his eyes look a lot like yours…just not as friendly."

Tetsuya nodded.

"Arashi is…rather unique. He and I share a close bond. In fact, Arashi has saved my life numerous times when I was threatened."

"You must get into a lot of trouble, then," Renji said, looking amused, "cause you seem like you can hold your own in a fight. Most healers I know don't have much skill at fighting. And, if I'm not mistaken, I saw some moves that make me pretty sure I know who your mentor was."

"Yes," Tetsuya affirmed, "Byakuya-sama, himself, trained me in the sword fighting, kido and hakudo. While he has always understood that healing is my calling, certain aspects of my personal history and the fact that I travel all through the mid and low Rukongai require that I be able to protect myself from any threats."

"I don't doubt at all you can do that, especially the way you handled that hollow. What was that power you used?"

"My zanpakuto is called Rekuhime, the lake princess. Her power is meant to be used for healing. We use waterforms to infuse damaged areas of the body and repair it. However, when used for battle, I can set many waterform copies of myself and shift my presence among them to confuse my enemy so that I can position myself for attack, or I can escape, if I need to."

"Well, once you get me powered back up, I'll be happy to do any fighting on the way to Las Noches, so that you won't have to," Renji offered.

"You should be fine now," Tetsuya said, slowly withdrawing his power, "and given what you've told me and the content of my cousin's message, I think we should leave right away. Come, Arashi will carry us. I assume you have some way for us to safely enter Hueco Mundo?"

"Yeah," Renji laughed with an edge of sarcasm, "I've got a royal key from King Psycho, himself, though I don't know how safe it will be. I'm warning you that you really need to be on your guard, Tetsuya-san. Don't trust Aizen, no matter what he or anyone else there says. The guy's bad news."

"I have heard," Tetsuya said soberly, "I will keep my guard up."

"Yeah, me too," Renji agreed, "If he makes one nasty move, the two of us are going to make him pay!"

Renji blinked and looked up at the sound of a hard equine snort that sounded like some kind of angry objection. Tetsuya yielded a little smile.

"What?" Renji grumbled, "Was he making fun of me or something?"

"No," Tetsuya assured him, "Arashi simply said that the better idea was for you to stay out of our way and don't get hurt while we put Aizen in his place. Arashi is a bit precocious."

"You don't say," Renji laughed, following Tetsuya to where the glaring stallion waited, "But hey, Tetsuya, y'know, I think I'll just flash step along with you on the way."

"Come, Renji-san," Tetsuya urged him, "and Arashi, you _will_ behave yourself."

The stallion stood still until Renji was just settling onto his back, behind Tetsuya, then he shifted, throwing the redhead off balance. Renji's arms wrapped reflexively around Tetsuya's slim waist, and the blue-eyed shingami blushed, but made no objection.

_Hah! Bet that didn't work out the way you wanted, you pain in the ass ol' fleabag_, Renji thought.

_Just wait_, Arashi's wispy voice hissed in the redhead's mind, _you are going to pay for that._


	13. All Kinds of Evil

**Chapter 13: All Kinds of Evil**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Sometimes one must depend on one kind of evil to resist a greater evil. Just take care to keep your evil snake on a short leash.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Byakuya cooperated quietly as the old healer conducted a brief examination, while Aizen sat on the other side of the noble's bed. The healer gave Byakuya a little, encouraging smile.

"Well, I can't say that we have halted the decline of your reiatsu and the child's, but things are moving slowly enough that as long as your cousin arrives soon and is able to form some kind of long term treatment, we should be able to bring both of you through just fine. Have faith, Kuchiki-sama."

Byakuya nodded, but he was unable to make himself respond aloud as the healer bowed and left the room. Aizen leaned on one hand, gazing at him silently for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"We…have a lot to talk about," he managed finally, "In fact, I haven't quite convinced myself that you're not just an illusion my fevered mind conjured up."

Byakuya turned his head away to hide the little blush that formed on his face and throat.

"And why would your mind be possessed by illusions of me?" Byakuya asked quietly, "After all, weren't you done with me? Isn't that why you ordered Rukia to be killed in front of me, then intended to kill the two of us, yourself?"

Aizen looked back at him silently for a moment, then sighed wearily.

"I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you yet again that I did not plan to kill you?" he asked finally.

"You had just ordered my sister killed," the noble pointed out, "and I am a warrior. I saw only the promise of death in your eyes as you approached us. You wanted us dead."

"No," Aizen insisted, "or…maybe it is only honest to say that I did not intend for you to die. You appeared suddenly, and your reiatsu was so low from your battle with Ichigo that I didn't sense you until you were in front of me. I promise you that I did not intend to kill you."

"You were drawing your sword, and you had just ordered my sister's death."

"Yes, I had ordered Gin to kill Rukia, but when you appeared and seemed bent on sacrificing your own life to save her, I realized her importance to you, and I…reconsidered. I promise you, I was not going to kill you, Byakuya."

"You were not going to kill me _or Rukia_?" Byakuya asked with an edge of suspicion.

"No."

"Then, what were you going to do? Were you going to abduct me? Us?"

Aizen sighed and relinquished a little smile.

"I didn't have time to fully form a plan. I was going to take the two of you with me. Beyond that, I confess, I didn't have a plan."

"Says the man who planned for who knows how long, to betray the Gotei 13 and all of his comrades and friends. Do you _know _how much your lies and treachery hurt the people who…?"

Byakuya broke off abruptly and lowered his eyes, but he felt the intensity of Aizen's gaze that remained focused on him.

"Who what, Byakuya?" the traitor asked.

Byakuya bristled at the man's audacity.

"Are you really asking me to make some kind of admission?" he asked bitterly, "I did not play games with you, or lie to you or manipulate you. You did all of those things to me."

"Yes," Aizen answered softly.

"You betrayed my trust, as your comrade, as your friend…and…while I was reeling over your 'death,' were you laughing, Sousuke?"

"I assure you I was not laughing at you," Aizen insisted.

"But you came to me in Karakura Town and you made love to me, knowing that I was tortured by your death, and that you were going to abandon me."

"I am sorry," Aizen said sincerely, "My plans were made far in advance, and were already playing out when I found you mourning me in Karakura Town and I made love to you to comfort both of us as we lost each other."

"But, when it comes to that, why did we have to lose each other? Sousuke, I need you to tell me, what is it that happened that made you hate all of us with such ferocity? And before you claim not to include me among your targets, recall that you did target Rukia personally, for use in your plans."

Aizen sighed.

"I did include Rukia in my plans. Yes. And at the time, it was personal. As you suggested before, I was angry because of the content of our interaction at your coming of age celebration. I found it…troubling that the person I knew in you seemed to have been made over into a puppet of the noble class. It did make me angry and vengeful. I was jealous of your affection for Hisana, and that also translated into a hatred for Rukia. I was vengeful at the time, but your action in being so willing to throw your life away to save her…it betrayed a side of you I had thought was gone. I had regrets when I saw that, and I wanted to give the two of us time to explore that, so I planned to abduct you and bring you to Las Noches as a seeming hostage. If not for the arrival of that annoying Shihoin and Shiba Kukakku…"

"So, that tells me you have regrets about your behavior towards me, but what about the betrayal of everyone else? I heard what you said about wanting to reach higher, about claiming that place at the top."

"And you know it is a reference to that impotent waste of a god that sits on the throne right now," Aizen said bitterly.

"Is that why?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "You learned of the state of the soul king, and this is what inspired your rage against him and against the noble families?"

Byakuya's frown deepened and he shook his head.

"No, there has to be more than that," he deduced, "There is something beneath all of this, something that you have held onto for longer than anyone knows. You have claimed to love me, at least in the past, and you claim to have feelings for me now. If those things are true, then you need to explain to me exactly what is driving this behavior in you!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"You look kinda anxious," Renji observed as he observed the other young man's profile from where he sat behind Tetsuya, astride the stallion, Arashi, "Looks like maybe it's more than just being worried about Kuchiki taicho."

Tetsuya studied the darkness of the cavernous passage into the hollow world.

"I've never been to Hueco Mundo," Tetsuya confessed softly, "I can feel its coldness and loneliness, even from within this passage. While the darkness works in our favor, because it hides my waterforms most effectively, it gives me an uneasy feeling."

"You and me both," Renji admitted, "I've been to Hueco Mundo on reconnaissance missions before, but it gives me the heebie jeebies too. I sure don't like hollows. I don't know how Aizen can stand being around them in that palace of his. They give me the screaming creeps, but I guess since Aizen's got his own really creepy powers, well…"

Renji blinked in surprise as a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, since you and Aizen have never met, that means he's never shown you his shikai."

"No, he hasn't," Tetsuya affirmed.

"Then, you need to know not to look at his shikai, no matter what, okay?" Renji instructed him, "His shikai is the hypnotic ritual that makes you vulnerable to his illusions. He told us this when he was gloating about how he worked all of us before. All of the taichos and fukutaichos were hypnotized. I can't see through his illusions because of that, but you can. We need to keep that advantage, okay?"

"Okay," Tetsuya agreed, "Thank you for warning me."

"No problem."

Renji looked down and caught sight of Tetsuya's fingers playing nervously in his stallion's soft mane, and he managed a little smile.

"So, since we have a little time, and you already kinda know about me, do you mind telling me about yourself? You're close to Byakuya? A cousin? But you don't live at Kuchiki Manor?"

"I don't," Tetsuya affirmed, "My father is…or _was_ close to Kuchiki Soujun."

"Taicho's father?"

"Mmhmm. They were first cousins, but also best friends. In that time, the rules for marriage of pureblood noble sons were very strict. Marrying a commoner was an unpardonable sin, and those who did it were usually either punished very harshly or expelled from the family. My father, Kuchiki Takao, was on reconnaissance in the Rukongai, when he met my mother, a vendor's daughter. They fell in love during his assignment in her town. Takao knew that they would not be accepted, so he abandoned his family and he and my mother hid within the Rukongai. But, an elder of the family, Isas, learned of their location, and he informed the leaders of a group that was sworn to ending the existence of mixed blood family members."

Renji frowned.

"I think I've heard Taicho mention that group."

"The Pureblood Knights," Tetsuya went on, "That group was responsible for the capture and incarceration of many, many mixed blood sons and daughters of the clans…children who transgressed, and their children, who had never done anything wrong, but were hated for the noble blood their captors claimed they stole. They captured my parents and held them in a secret illegal noble's prison called Itamigiri. My parents were tortured, and I was taken away and made to serve the guards from a very young age. When I was old enough, one of the guards, a relative of mine who was secretly sent by the young lord, Byakuya, to find my family, claimed me as his property. He was sworn to protect me, but instead, he abused me. That abuse led him to discovering that I was…_different_."

"Different…how?" Renji asked without thinking.

Tetsuya blushed.

"Ah…"

"Oh, sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Renji said, backpedaling quickly.

"It's all right," Tetsuya assured him, "I just don't know if you want that much information."

Renji gave him a smirk and a little chuckle.

"Well, how much do you know about me?" he asked.

"Hmm, I know that Byakuya-sama was very, very impressed with your tenacity."

"Was he really?" the redhead asked, brightening.

"Oh, yes," Tetsuya answered, nodding, "To have survived the dangers of the low Rukongai and to have developed your powers, even amidst the treatment you likely got from the pureblood nobles at the academy. To have risen above, despite a system designed to put you at a disadvantage. Yes, he was impressed with you, although he did feel concerned at your impetuous nature."

"Yeah, that," Renji chuckled, "That does get on his nerves sometimes, but we've come a long way. Getting back to you, though…"

"Oh," Tetsuya said, his blush returning, "what my cousin, Orochi, learned…"

"Wait, your cousin who abused you is Kuchiki Orochi?"

"Yes."

"I _knew _there was a reason I never liked that jackass at all."

"Orochi is a cruel person, and while he didn't want me dead, he didn't want me to escape, once I belonged to him. But shortly before Byakuya-sama was ready to make his move to free us, it was discovered by our captors that I was pregnant."

"You?" Renji asked, giving him a surprised look, "You mean, like the Seirei Joumai…?"

"No. It was not that connection, but a family secret from many years before. You see, about a thousand years ago, there was a great war between the shinigamis and the quincies. During that war, many noble women and children were slaughtered by the enemy…to the point where it was devastating to the nobles. In order to bring the families back from the brink, some males agreed to be altered to be able to carry children for the family. These men were known as the Breeder Males. They were, at first, honored for their service to the clan. However, as the clans rebounded, it was felt by the leadership that their role was finished, and there should not be any more alterations of that sort. They outlawed the procedure. However, some time after, it was found that some of the males born of the Breeder Males were natural born Breeders. Horrified at the development, a group of nobles rebelled and began killing whatever Breeders they could find. In time, there were thought to be none left, but there were still occasional male children who were born Breeders. These were usually killed if discovered."

"My god…"

"When Orochi's abuse caused me to become pregnant, he first tried to claim that the child was my cellmate's. They didn't know if the Breeder Gene was in me or Naoki, so we were both scheduled for termination. Byakuya-sama's invasion stopped our executions, however, Naoki was killed while we were trying to escape. I was badly injured, but Byakuya-sama managed to rescue my parents and me. I…lost the baby, because of the stress, malnourishment and the damage to my body. Byakuya-sama saw my family safely to the mid-Rukongai and when I was recovered enough, he trained me to be able to protect myself. He learned early on that I was a natural healer, but he expected that if I wanted to live, I must be strong enough to fight for my life."

"Well, I think you're definitely strong enough for that," Renji said appreciatively, "Your powers are impressively strong. Do you have a bankai?"

"I do," Tetsuya confessed, "There is a healing application and a fighting one also. For fighting, my waterforms freeze and compress so that they become tiny, bladed ice shards."

"Nice."

In terms of healing, the waterforms get even smaller, and can be sent through a person's body to eradicate illness or poisons."

"Seriously?" Renji said, looking impressed, "No wonder Taicho sent for you. That's pretty damned amazing."

Tetsuya sobered.

"I do hope that I can be of assistance to my cousin. Do you know what the source of his affliction is?"

"Yeah," Renji replied, his cinnamon eyes darkening with memory, "but what's wrong with him is all wrapped up in what he's gonna tell you about when we get there. I guess I should just let him tell you about it."

"Of course."

"Tetsuya, I'm glad you're coming to help," Renji sighed, "I'm worried about him…really worried."

Tetsuya started to answer, but was stopped as they reached the exit and found themselves emerging from the darkness, heading out into the courtyard within the hollow fortress called Las Noches. Renji felt Tetsuya shiver under his hands as two hollow guards approached them, accompanied by a smiling Ichimaru Gin.

"Gin," Renji greeted him stiffly.

"Glad you got back safely, Renji," Gin chuckled.

His slitted eyes found Tetsuya and opened slightly to get a better look.

"Oh my, and you must be Byakuya's cousin, Tetsuya?" he inquired.

Tetsuya shivered again and leaned into Renji's protective embrace.

"This is Tetsuya," Renji said, scowling, "and if you do anything to annoy him…"

"You'll what?" Gin giggled, glancing at the hollows all around them.

"Eh, just leave him alone. Tetsuya's here to heal my taicho. That's it. So, no funny business."

"Surely not," Gin replied jovially, "Come along. It seems Byakuya's in some trouble as far as Sousuke's baby is concerned."

Tetsuya's blue eyes widened.

"Aizen Sousuke is the father of Byakuya-sama's baby?" he asked anxiously.

"Renji didn't tell you that?" Gin asked, "Interesting…"

"I was just letting Taicho speak for himself, you idiot!" Renji steamed, "You should think about doing that too and shut your goddamned mouth!"

"Such language in front of our very gentle healer guest," Gin chided the redhead, "And you told _me_ not to be rude."

Gin moved forward and caught Tetsuya's hand in his.

"Here, let me help you down, Tetsu-chan."

"I'll help him!" Renji snapped, holding a protective arm around the surprised healer's waist, "You keep your hands off!"

"I was just being friendly," Gin teased.

"Yeah right, until you shove a knife in the guy's back."

"Oh, that's not nice," Gin said, pretending to pout, "I wouldn't do that to a healer. Around here, you never know when you might really need one. There is a lot of backstabbing, you know."

"As expected of you and Aizen _psycho_!" Renji spat, "Y'know, I oughta…"

"Tsk, tsk, now don't get nasty," Gin huffed, "Come, we should be getting to Byakuya. You and he have some catching up to do, don't you, Tetsu-chan?"

"Stop calling him that!" Renji roared.

"Temper, temper, I was just being friendly. You don't mind, do you, Tetsu-chan?" Gin said, snagging Tetsuya's hand and kissing it gently before Renji could intervene.

"I…w-well…" Tetsuya stammered, blushing more furiously.

"So cute!" Gin gushed, "You are adorable, Tetsu-chan!"

"Gah, just take us to Taicho already!"

"He sure is grumpy, isn't he?" Gin snickered, "Come along, then, you two. This way."


End file.
